The Return
by Nedrab
Summary: For the past 24 years, Harry Potter had been able to live a fairly normal life by wizarding standards. However, on December 31, 2022, 100 years after the birth of Voldemort, Harry's life takes a strange turn when people from Harry's past suddenly begin reappearing.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**:

1\. All recognizable content is the property of J.K. Rowling

2\. This story contains some deviations from canon including original characters, female Severus Snape, non-canon relationships, among some other changes

3\. Flashbacks will be in _italics_ with the date in _**bold**_.

*******This is a rewrite of my original attempt of this story, as well as a combination of my side stories. There are some significant changes which I thought made the story a bit better. I hope you all like it.* - B.**

* * *

When Harry James Potter woke up on the morning of December 30, 2022, it took him several seconds to realize where he was.

"Are you alright, baby?" Harry's wife, Valerie, asked sleepily, very likely having been woken up by Harry jumping up.

Harry nodded, slowly sitting back down onto the bed.

"Yeah, I… I just had a bad dream," Harry admitted, somewhat hesitantly.

Valerie reached up sleepily, and Harry laid down and snuggled into her arms.

Valerie kissed his forehead. "What about?"

Harry sighed, continuing to hold onto his wife. "Jamie."

Valerie stiffened slightly and remained quiet for several seconds. Harry could practically hear the wheels turning in her head and knew that she was replaying the events of the last few months in her mind.

* * *

_**October 28, 2022**_

_As Harry reread the letter he and Valerie received from Hogwarts Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, he grew more and more furious. The letter had stated that his oldest son, James Sirius Potter, called "Jamie" by friends and family, had gotten his Hogsmeade privileges revoked for the rest of the term. Harry couldn't understand how Jamie had already gotten into so much trouble not even two months into the school year, and, by the looks of it, Valerie could not understand either._

"_That child is going to drive me insane," Valerie angrily muttered under her breath, pacing around the living room looking for her purse. _

_Harry simply shook his head too angry to speak._

"_Let's go get this all sorted," Valerie grumbled, walking over to the fireplace after finding her purse._

_Less than a minute later, Harry and Valerie arrived in Professor McGonagall's office to find McGonagall standing near her fireplace to greet them._

"_Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," greeted Professor McGonagall, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Please take a seat."_

_Professor McGonagall led the couple to her desk, where Jamie was slouched in a chair, staring at his feet._

_Valerie took the seat closest to Jamie while Harry sat down on the opposite end of the desk. _

"_What's happened?" Valerie asked, after several seconds of awkward silence._

_Professor McGonagall sighed. "It appears that James thought it would be humorous to exhibit muggle duelling on one of his classmates."_

_The room remained quiet for a few seconds before Valerie spoke._

"_Is that so, Jamie?" Valerie asked, turning to Jamie angrily._

_Jamie squirmed uncomfortably before nodding, continuing to stare at his feet._

_After already having to endure an entire summer listening to Jamie constantly teasing and fighting with Harry and Valerie's younger son, Albus Severus, called "Al", Harry was finding it increasingly difficult to control his anger, opting to remain quiet in an attempt to prevent himself from making a scene. _

_Valerie sighed, shaking her head before turning her attention back to Professor McGonagall._

"_Is the other child alright?"_

"_He's in the hospital wing," Professor McGonagall stated. "With several bruises, a broken nose, and a few missing teeth."_

_Given that Jamie clearly had gotten out of the fight mostly unscathed, with the exception of mildly bruised knuckles and a small scratch on his face, Harry knew that it could not have been a fair fight. This realization pushed Harry over the edge._

"_Professor, may Valerie and I have a few minutes alone with our son, please?" Harry asked through gritted teeth._

"_Of course," Professor McGonagall said, leaving her office. _

_After hearing the office door close again, Harry started on Jamie._

"_WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!" _

_Jamie flinched slightly, his eyes remaining fixed on his feet._

"_LOOK AT ME!" Harry roared, causing Jamie to quickly lift his head._

"_HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO PICK ON PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN?!"_

_Jamie remained quiet, staring nervously at Harry._

"_HOW MANY TIMES?!" Harry repeated, growing even more furious._

"_A lot…" Jamie whispered, his hands shaking._

"_SEVERAL TIMES!" Harry roared. "AND DO YOU LISTEN?"_

"_I-I…" Jamie started, apparently attempting to explain himself._

"_NO, NO, YOU DO NOT! YOU DON'T LISTEN!" Harry answered. "YOU COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY INJURED THAT BOY! YOU ARE SO DAMN LUCKY THAT SOMEONE STOPPED YOU OR YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN A MURDERER! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?"_

_Jamie quickly shook his head, clearly holding back tears, but given the circumstances, Harry couldn't care much._

"_Y-you d-d-don't… you d-don't" Jamie started._

"_Don't what, Jamie?!" Valerie asked angrily._

_Jamie wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "Y-you… You d-don't understand…"_

"_Understand _what?" _Valerie was starting to sound very annoyed._

"_He… he said… he was saying stuff… horrible things… I-I…" Jamie tried to explain._

"_I DON'T CARE WHAT THAT BOY SAID!" Harry roared. "YOU ARE A SIX-FOOT-FOUR QUIDDITCH PLAYER! HOW BIG WAS THE OTHER BOY?"_

_Jamie looked down sheepishly, before mumbling, "About Al's size."_

_Given that Al looked almost identical to how Harry looked at age fourteen, Harry now knew the fight was not equally matched at all._

_Harry sighed angrily. "YOU ARE TURNING SEVENTEEN IN LESS THAN TWO MONTHS! YOU NEED TO GROW UP! WHY IS IT ALWAYS _YOU _DOING THESE THINGS? AL AND KATE HAVE _NEVER _GIVEN YOUR MOTHER AND I EVEN HALF THE AMOUNT OF TROUBLE YOU HAVE! EVEN _TEDDY _HAS BEEN A BETTER SON THAN YOU, AND HE'S NOT EVEN OUR BIOLOGICAL CHILD!" Harry knew that this was a rather harsh thing to say, and in all honesty, he didn't genuinely mean what he had said, but in his anger, Harry found that he didn't care too much._

_Harry huffed angrily, feeling winded after all of his screaming. "I can't deal with this right now," Harry grumbled, making his way back to the fireplace without giving a second glance to Jamie._

"_Your father and I will think of a fitting punishment later," Harry heard Valerie tell Jamie. "For now, don't even think about coming home for Christmas."_

* * *

_**November 5, 2022**_

_Barely a week after receiving news that Jamie had gotten in a fight, another letter from Professor McGonagall arrived at the Potter home._

"_Harry!" Harry heard Valerie shout from downstairs. "We're needed at Hogwarts, again!"_

_Harry ran through a list of possible scenarios of what trouble Jamie could have caused this time. "I wonder what he's done now," Harry sighed, once he arrived in the living room. _

_After a few minutes, Harry and Valerie found themselves in Professor McGonagall's office for the second time in less than two weeks. _

"_Hello, Professor," greeted Valerie. "What's Jamie done today?"_

_Professor McGonagall paused for a short while before saying, "Let's sit down, first."_

_Harry rubbed his temples in an attempt to calm himself down. He reasoned that if Professor McGonagall wanted them to sit down first, it must have been really bad. He only hoped that Jamie didn't manage to get himself expelled._

_It was only when Harry and Valerie arrived at Professor McGonagall's desk, Harry noticed that Jamie was not in the room._

_Professor McGonagall sighed deeply before beginning her explanation. _

"_As you may know," Professor McGonagall began. "The first quidditch match of the season was this morning."_

_Harry and Valerie both nodded, waiting for Professor McGonagall to continue._

"_Midway through the match, there was an accident," Professor McGonagall continued. "James was hit close-range in the back with a bludger and fell off of his broom."_

_Valerie gasped. "Is he alright?"_

_In Harry's opinion, the look on Professor McGonagall's face offered enough of an answer. "Madam Hooch tried to slow down the falling," Professor McGonagall explained. "But he still hit the ground rather hard, and he was unconscious by the time he was taken into the hospital wing."_

_Harry felt numb. Any of the anger he felt toward Jamie for his actions of last week had faded completely and had been replaced with fear and guilt. Harry found that he was now unable to speak or even move._

"_Are...are we allowed to see him?" Valerie asked nervously, her face completely pale._

"_I believe Madam Pomfrey and Mr. Tonks-Lupin are still working on him, but I will let them know you're here."_

_Professor McGonagall promptly stood up and left the room._

_Valerie sighed deeply, covering her face with her hands._

_Harry felt like crying. All he wanted was to hold his oldest child in his arms._

_After what felt like several hours of tense silence, but likely was only a few minutes, Professor McGonagall arrived back in the room._

"_Madam Pomfrey says they've done what they can for James right now," said Professor McGonagall. "He's still unconscious, but you're welcome to come and see him."_

_Both Harry and Valerie stood up quickly and followed Professor McGonagall to the hospital wing._

"_Hi, Uncle Harry, Aunt Val," greeted Harry's godson, Edward Tonks-Lupin, called "Teddy", as soon as Harry and Valerie entered the hospital wing._

_After both Teddy's parents were killed during the Battle of Hogwarts and Teddy's maternal grandmother died several months later, Harry became Teddy's sole guardian, raising him as his own since the age of three._

"_Hi, Teddy," Valerie said, pulling Teddy in for a hug. "How's Jamie doing?"_

_Teddy sighed before running a hand through his hair which rather than its usual bright blue-green was now a dull grayish-brown, a tell-tale sign that Teddy was feeling rather nervous or stressed._

"_Well, not great," Teddy said. "His spine snapped at the point where the bludger hit him, so he'll definitely be paralyzed at least from the waist down. And he's been completely unresponsive, so we think he must have hit his head quite hard. Madam Pomfrey might be able to explain everything a bit more."_

_Teddy led Harry and Valerie behind a curtain where Madam Pomfrey continued working on Jamie. _

_The moment Harry saw his son, he felt as though the air had been taken from his lungs. Jamie was lying flat on his back on one of the hospital beds, looking as pale as the sheets he was on and more still than Harry could ever remember seeing him. _

"_Oh, Jamie," Valerie sighed sadly, rushing over to her son, and grasping his hand. It frightened Harry that Jamie didn't react at all, not even the slightest twitch._

_Madam Pomfrey summoned three chairs and gestured for Harry and Valerie to sit down before sitting down herself. Madam Pomfrey began explaining the details of Jamie's injury and current condition, and while Harry tried his very best to focus on what she was saying, his mind kept wandering to his severely-injured, comatose son._

"_When do you think he'll wake up?" Valerie asked, teary-eyed and still clutching Jamie's limp hand._

_Madam Pomfrey sighed deeply, and Harry could tell that she felt conflicted over whether or not she should tell them the truth._

"_In all honesty," Madam Pomfrey said with an air of deep regret. "It's unlikely that he'll wake up at all."_

_Whatever Harry thought Madam Pomfrey was going to say, it certainly wasn't that. Barely over a week ago, Harry had been furiously screaming at his mischievous son for once again causing trouble, and now he had to watch his little boy fight for his life._

_After a few minutes of tense silence, Valerie spoke._

"_Is there anything we can do for him?" Valerie's voice sounded like she was desperately trying to hold back tears._

"_With your permission, I can have some healers from St. Mungo's take him over there," Madam Pomfrey offered. "That way he would get the help and attention he needs, and you would be able to visit him as often as you'd like."_

"_Yes, yes, please," Valerie said, as Harry nodded eagerly. "That would be great."_

"_You are welcome to stay here until the healers arrive," said Madam Pomfrey before promptly standing up presumably to write to St. Mungo's._

* * *

Harry sighed, wiping some stray tears from his eyes. "I just keep replaying what I said to him over and over again," Harry admitted. "I shouldn't have said what I said. I was just so angry I wasn't thinking. That's no excuse though." Harry began sobbing into Valerie's shoulder.

Valerie held Harry even tighter. "I could've… should've stopped you before you went that far. You cannot blame yourself entirely."

"I wish I could've given him a hug, or at least looked at him, or something," Harry said, once his sobbing subsided.

"We'll have plenty of time for hugs and cuddles once he wakes up," Valerie answered hopefully.

Harry paused for a few seconds. "What if he doesn't?"

Valerie sighed. "First of all, we'll cross that bridge if and when we get there. Second, he's already improved so much. Two months ago, he wasn't responding at all. Now, he opens his eyes, albeit subconsciously and when provoked. He moans sometimes. There is no reason to think he won't get better."

Harry snuggled further into Valerie's arms.

"I suppose you're right," Harry said, smiling in spite of himself. He loved that Valerie was able to help him see the positive side of things even when he really didn't want to.

Valerie chuckled before kissing the top of Harry's head. "Of course, I am."

Harry felt surprised at how differently he and Valerie responded to their son's injury and the guilt they felt over their last interaction with them. Valerie coped by almost over-eagerly helping Jamie in any way she thought she could, whether it was placing fresh flowers by his bedside, taking care to brush his hair or wipe some sweat off his face whenever she visited him, or even bringing him different cuddly toys he played with as a small child, while Harry often felt like he couldn't even get out of bed and whenever he visited Jamie or even saw pictures of him, all he could do was cry.

"We should get up now," said Valerie, after several minutes. "Al and Kate will be waking up soon."

Harry nodded, before getting out of bed and waking downstairs to start breakfast.

Just as Harry and Valerie were finishing up the cooking, Harry and Valerie's youngest child and only daughter, Lily Katherine "Kate" Potter, came bounding down the stairs.

"Good morning, Mum and Dad!" greeted the ten-year-old excitedly.

"Good morning, lovely," Valerie greeted, before placing a plate of eggs and bacon and a glass of orange juice at Kate's seat.

After a few minutes, Al finally came downstairs.

"Morning," Al mumbled, partly due to him not being a morning person and partly because he was likely still angry with his parents for what they had said to Jamie.

* * *

_**November 6, 2022**_

"_Now, you want to be all loving and caring!" Al said furiously, entering Jamie's hospital room. Al had been allowed to leave Hogwarts for the day to visit his brother in the hospital._

_Valerie sighed. "Good morning to you, too, Al."_

_Al simply growled. "Did you stop shouting at him for long enough to hear _why _he beat that guy up?"_

"_No," Harry admitted sheepishly. "Not really."_

_Al huffed. "Well," Al said, glaring at his father. "If you _had_, you may have realized that that Ravenclaw arsehole had been bullying me about, you know, last year, and Jamie caught him shoving me into a wall."_

_Last year, Al had been tricked into helping Gregory Goyle's daughter, Mildred, go back in time and almost bring back Voldemort. Harry, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione Granger, had quickly resolved the issue, but not before Al had to witness the death of Harry's parents._

_Harry didn't quite know what to say. "He… he only told us that the boy said something mean. He never said he hurt you."_

"_It was just a shove," Al said angrily. "And of course he didn't! He didn't want you guys to freak out!"_

"_We might not have," Valerie argued quietly._

"_No, you _would _have," Al snapped back. "Whenever Kate and I have a problem, you both make sure you sort it out, because it couldn't _possibly _be our own faults. But when Jamie needs help, then it's his own fault and his own problem. You know, I'm shocked you're even here! I would've thought you'd have just said, 'Whatever, it's just Jamie causing trouble again. He'll have to deal with it himself.' BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU ALWAYS DO!"_

_Harry was quite taken aback by how angry Al was, as Jamie and Al often got on each other's nerves whenever they were around each other._

"_Where's all this coming from, darling?" Valerie asked, clearly trying her best to maintain her composure._

_Al angrily sat down on one of the chairs next to Jamie's bed. "You know, whenever the Slytherin's were being jerks or I couldn't sleep because of nightmares-"_

"_You've been having nightmares?" Harry interrupted. "Is this about what happened last year? Why didn't you come to me? I could've helped." _

_Al rolled his eyes. "This is _exactly _why I didn't come to you. And also not the point! Anyway, Jamie would sometimes smuggle me into the Gryffindor dorms and let me sleep in his bed. Or if I was sitting by myself in the Great Hall, he'd come over and sit with me."_

"_Really?" Harry said, feeling rather surprised._

_Al scoffed. "He's not a horrible, terrible person who only causes trouble and only cares about himself, no matter how much you think he is."_

_Harry desperately wanted to tell Al that he didn't think so little of Jamie, but he understood that his recent actions hadn't truly reflected that._

"_You know," Al started after a few minutes of silence. "After you guys shouted at him, he came to the Slytherin dorms to see if I was okay after that guy was picking on me. He tried to pretend he was fine, but I could tell he wasn't. He seemed really upset."_

_Harry watched Al shift his gaze over to Jamie._

"_I'm not surprised he got hurt," Al added quietly and, much to Harry's surprise, affectionately. "He looked completely distracted at the match. He was not himself."_

"_Poor thing," Valerie mumbled, gently squeezing Jamie's hand._

"_Don't pretend to care!" Al growled, turning to his mother. "I know you don't!"_

_Al promptly stormed out of the room._

* * *

"Good morning, dear," Valerie said cheerfully, clearly trying her best to keep the peace. "How are you doing today?"

"Fine," grumbled Al. "How's Jamie?"

Harry sighed, not missing the edge in Al's voice when he asked about Jamie.

"Well, Gran and Granddad say he's doing quite well," Valerie answered quickly. Molly and Arthur Weasley, Harry's best friend Ron's parents, who were the closest thing Harry had to parents, had been watching Jamie for the morning and had sent updates to Harry and Valerie earlier that morning. "They say Jamie's been moaning a lot more, and he even moved his hands during one of the pain tests."

Al made no acknowledgement of this new information and continued eating his breakfast.

"I'm looking after Jamie this evening," Harry said, hoping to clear some of the tension. "You are welcome to come with if you'd like to, Al."

Al merely nodded.

"Oooh, can I come too, Dad?" Kate asked excitedly. "I wrote him another letter!"

Kate wrote letters to Jamie everyday and would read them to him whenever she visited.

"Of course, love," Harry said.

"Maybe we should all go see Jamie," Valerie offered. "We could take our dinner with us and eat with him."

"That's a great idea," said Harry, glancing over at Al to see his reaction, which much to Harry's chagrin was nonexistent.

Six o'clock soon arrived, and dinner was cooked and packed, along with some plates and cutlery. Everyone in the Potter household began making their way to the fireplace to floo to St. Mungo's. As had happened every time he entered Jamie's hospital room over the past two months, Harry felt himself beginning to tear up.

"Hi, darling," Harry whispered, sitting down on the side of Jamie's bed and running a hand through Jamie's hair. "I've made your favourite dinner. I know you can't eat with us right now, but as soon as you're better, I'll make you some. I'll make you some everyday if you want." Harry kissed Jamie on the forehead. "You need to get better soon, baby. We all miss you so much."

As Harry wiped his tears on his sleeve, he noticed Al watching him from the corner of his eye. For the first time in over a month, Harry didn't see anger but rather sadness and perhaps some guilt.

"Let's eat," said Valerie, likely noticing the somewhat awkward silence.

Over the next hour or so, the family ate dinner and had small, light conversations, throughout which Jamie moaned rather frequently.

"You're feeling rather talkative today, aren't you, dear?" Valerie asked after once again being interrupted by a series of moans.

To Harry's surprise, Jamie moaned again, almost as though in response to Valerie's question.

Valerie chuckled and kissed Jamie on the forehead.

After another hour in Jamie's hospital room, Harry noticed everyone was beginning to get tired. Kate had managed to tuck herself in next to Jamie, while Al sat on the opposite side of Jamie quietly reading to him.

"Maybe we should stay here overnight," Valerie suggested, holding back a yawn.

Harry nodded. "I'll just let Ron know not to come."

By the time Harry returned to the room after leaving to send a letter to Ron, who was scheduled to look after Jamie overnight, Kate was fast asleep with her arm draped around Jamie, Al was slowly beginning to doze off, and Valerie was curled up on a chair sleepily watching her three children.

Harry spent several seconds silently watching his family, feeling happy that they were all together despite the circumstances.

"Hey, baby," Valerie said sleepily looking up at Harry.

Harry chuckled, walking over to kiss Valerie.

"Do you want me to transfigure the chair into a cot?" Harry offered.

"No, sleeping on a chair sounds like a great idea," Valerie said jokingly, before standing up so that Harry could turn the chair into a cot.

Soon the chair was replaced with a cot complete with some blankets and pillows.

"I'll just tuck the kids in and turn the lights off," Harry said as Valerie laid down.

As Harry took the book off of a now sleeping Al's chest, Al stirred.

"Dad?" Al said, sleepily.

"Sorry, love," Harry said. "I was just putting your book down. You can go back to sleep now."

Al yawned. "S'okay."

Just as Harry was about to walk away, Al grabbed his arm.

"Yes, dear?" Harry said, turning to look at his son.

Al hesitated slightly, apparently trying to organize his thoughts.

"I...erm… I just wanted to say… Sorry, for… for how I acted," Al said awkwardly. "I noticed that you and Mum both seem pretty upset about what's happened, you know, with Jamie. And… I… I can tell that if… if Jamie were to, you know, not make it,... you'd both be… well, I suppose you'd be really heartbroken."

Harry felt quite touched that Al felt the need to apologize and that he seemed to understand that Harry and Valerie were trying even if sometimes it felt like it was too little too late.

"Thank you, Al," Harry said, his voice cracking slightly. "I can understand why you felt angry, though. Mum and I haven't exactly been great to him, but we will do better. We're just hoping for the chance."

Al nodded before, much to Harry's surprise, reaching out for a hug.

"I love you, Dad," Al said, holding on to Harry.

"I love you, too, Al."

Harry gently kissed Al on the forehead before turning off the lights and laying down on the chair-turned-cot next to Valerie who was now fast asleep. He smiled to himself, feeling happy with his loving family and hopeful for the future. Had Harry stayed awake just an hour more, he may have noticed the peculiar commotion that occurred once midnight struck.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry woke up early New Year's Eve morning with the distinct feeling that something wasn't right. After a few seconds of wondering what could have woken him up so early, he noticed desperate-sounding moans from Jamie's bed.

Harry grabbed his glasses, shot out of bed, and practically leaped over to Jamie to see what was wrong.

"Jamie," Harry sighed sadly, his heart breaking at the pained expression on Jamie's face. "What's wrong, darling? Are you hurt?"

Harry then noticed that Kate was laying on top of Jamie's arm.

"There we go, dear," Harry said, gently lifting Kate and maneuvering Jamie's arm out from underneath her. "That feels better doesn't it." Harry watched as Jamie's moans quieted and his grimace faded back into the neutral expression that Harry had gotten quite familiar with over the past several weeks. "I'm sorry you were hurt, but I'm so happy you let me know something was wrong. That's such a huge improvement. I'm so proud of you, darling."

After placing Jamie's arm in a more comfortable position so that Kate wouldn't be able to roll on top of it again, Harry went back to bed, noting that it was still quite early and assuming that it must have been Jamie's moaning that woke him up.

Just as Harry laid his head down for a few more hours of sleep, he heard a faint knock at the door.

"Hello," Harry sleepily answered the door after a few seconds of working up the energy to get out of bed for a second time.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," greeted the head of Jamie's team of healers, Meredith Thompson. "Sorry to disturb you, but we've received word from Minerva McGonagall that you're needed urgently at Hogwarts."

"Alright," Harry said, hoping Healer Thompson didn't hear the reluctance in his voice. "Did she say why?"

Healer Thompson began looking a bit uncomfortable, very much like someone who had more information than they were allowed to disclose. "Well, no, no, she did not."

Harry nodded. "Tell her I'll be there in a few minutes."

Just as Harry finished getting ready to go to Hogwarts, Valerie stirred.

"What's going on?" Valerie asked sleepily. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, love. McGonagall just needs me at Hogwarts."

Valerie yawned. "What for?"

"I'm not sure yet," Harry admitted, walking over to Valerie. "But I'll let you know when I get back."

"Alright, dear," Valerie said, beginning to doze off again. "Love you."

"Love you, too" Harry chuckled, kissing Valerie before leaving the room.

After a few minutes, Harry was stepping out of the fireplace in Professor McGonagall's office.

"Good morning, Professor," Harry greeted. "You said you needed me here?"

Professor McGonagall looked up from her desk, and Harry was shocked to see, not the face of the older woman that had become almost like a stern parent to him, but rather a fairly young woman who looked to be in her early-to-mid forties. "Oh, yes, Mr. Potter. Please, have a seat."

Just as Harry sat down and was about to ask what was going on, frantic knocking came from Professor McGonagall's office door.

"Professor Dumbledore!" said a frantic-sounding male voice. "Professor Dumbledore! We can't find Harry anywhere! Please, help!"

Harry found this very odd as Albus Dumbledore, who had been Hogwarts headmaster when Harry and his friends were at Hogwarts, had died over twenty years ago, near the end of Harry's sixth year. Harry also thought he might have heard the person at the door say they couldn't find 'Harry', but surely they didn't mean him. There were plenty of other people called "Harry" especially since the war ended.

"Professor?" Harry started hesitantly.

"Just a moment, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said, standing up to answer the door.

"Oh, hello, Professor McGonagall," said the voice at the door. "Is Professor Dumbledore here? I-we really need to see him."

"Why don't you both come inside?"

Harry turned around and was shocked to see two oddly familiar faces, a man with messy black hair and hazel eyes and a woman with long wavy red hair and bright green eyes.

"Oh, hello, there" the man greeted Harry with a smile.

As Professor McGonagall and the couple walked closer, Harry realized why the two faces seemed familiar.

Just as Harry was about to ask Professor McGonagall to explain, the woman who was now looking closely at Harry spoke.

"Professor, what's going on?"

"Please, have a seat," Professor McGonagall said, transfiguring two chairs from random objects on her desk before sitting down herself.

"What is the last thing you remember?" Professor McGonagall asked the couple once they were seated.

"Well, that's actually what we wanted to talk to Dumbledore about," said the man. "You see, last night, Voldemort broke in, and I tried holding him off. And I'm not really sure what happened, but I woke up on the floor of our living room, and Lily was screaming saying she couldn't find Harry."

Not only did these two people look eerily like his parents had, the man also seemed to have just recounted Harry's father's final moments and had just called the woman sitting next to him "Lily", Harry's mother's name.

If this surprised Professor McGonagall, she certainly hadn't shown it.

"What about you, Lily?" Professor McGonagall asked the woman, making a point to ont look at Harry.

"Well, I heard James say that I should take Harry and run, so I ran upstairs and before I could apparate Voldemort stormed in and tried to get me to give Harry to him," the woman began tearing up. "I begged him not to take Harry, but when I woke up on the floor of Harry's room, Voldemort was gone and Harry wasn't in his crib."

Harry was now certain that he was sitting next to his parents and that the baby they were speaking about was him.

"Can either of you tell me what year it is?" Professor McGonagall asked calmly, as though this was a question she often asked in typical conversation.

"Erm, 1981," James said, looking extremely confused. "Why?"

Professor McGonagall sighed, before turning to Harry. "Harry, would you care to inform us of today's date?"

This caught Harry very much off guard, and he tried his best not to look at the shocked and somewhat saddened faces of his parents. "December 31, 2022, Professor," Harry said, looking steadfastly at Professor McGonagall. "Although given the circumstances, I can't say that with much certainty."

Professor McGonagall gave Harry a small smile. "You are correct, Harry. And I believe I owe you an explanation."

"It appears that, in an attempt to ensure his immortality in the event that he did not defeat you, Voldemort has created a spell that would bring back everyone lost during the war," Professor McGonagall informed Harry.

"Wait," interrupted James. "So, you're saying that Harry ended up defeating Voldemort?"

"Yes, however, so as to not waste any time, we shall save that explanation for later," Professor McGonagall said before continuing to inform Harry of the events that occured over the last few hours.

Professor McGonagall went on to explain that everyone who had been of age when Harry had first defeated Voldemort on October 31, 1981 or at the end of the Battle of Hogwarts on May 2, 1998 was returned back to the age that they were at that time and that those who had died had been returned to their place of death.

"So, everyone that's been returned is here to stay?" Harry asked hesitantly after Professor McGonagall was done explaining.

"Yes," answered Professor McGonagall. "They will all be able to live out the rest of their lives."

"And Voldemort's still gone."

"Yes, seeing as all of the Horcruxes have been destroyed, there is no way for him to return."

"So, what do we do now?" Harry asked.

Professor McGonagall paused for a few seconds before answering. "Well, we'll have quite a task returning everyone who died both here and at the Ministry of Magic to their families."

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked now eager to see the loved ones he had lost throughout the war.

Professor McGonagall stood up. "We have those who died here at Hogwarts seated in the Great Hall. You're welcome to come and see them."

Harry eagerly stood up. "Of course."

Just as Professor McGonagall walked to the door with Harry following closely behind, James spoke.

"Wait," James said almost frantically, looking at Harry. "Erm, sorry, I-I just, erm, can I… can I give you a hug?"

Harry, who had been deprived of hugs from his parents for over forty years and certainly didn't think he'd ever have the chance to, was at a loss for words, and after a several seconds, opted for an awkward nod.

James practically ran over to Harry before holding him tightly.

"Oh, my little Harry," James sobbed. "You're so big now."

Lily smiled at the pair, before rushing over to join the hug.

"I suppose you have places to be," Lily said tearfully, once the small family reunion was over. "D-Dad and I'll just be waiting here."

Harry nodded, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, before leaving with Professor McGonagall.

Harry only had to be in the Great Hall for a few seconds before several people came rushing towards him.

"There you are, Harry," Remus Lupin, Teddy's father and one of James' best friends, said once the crowd around Harry had died down. "Dora and I have been looking for you. It seems that the battle's over now. We're thinking of going home to the little one."

It broke Harry's heart knowing that the "little one" that Remus was happily referring to was now a twenty-six-year-old man.

"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks said, bounding over to Harry. "We should be heading home now. It'd be good to take Teddy off my mum's hands. I know they said terrible twos would be hard, but Teddy's on a _completely_ different level, and he's not even two yet."

"You have no idea," Harry mumbled under his breath, remembering the times he had to babysit two-year-old Teddy when his grandmother Andromeda was too sick to take care of him.

* * *

_**January 30, 1999**_

_However Harry imagined spending his Saturday night, he certainly hadn't expected to be engaged in an intense face off with a naked toddler._

"_Teddy, come here right now. You need to put on your pajamas," Harry said, trying his best to not lose his temper. "It is time for bed."_

"_NO!" an angry bright-red-haired Teddy shouted, crossing his arms as best a two-year-old could. "NO! NO! NO!"_

_Teddy, for what felt like the hundredth time that night, promptly ran out of the room and bolted downstairs._

_Harry sighed, grabbing a nappy and Teddy's pajamas before following Teddy down the stairs._

_Harry looked around the living room for his godson._

_Harry couldn't quite understand why Teddy was being so fussy. The entire day had gone very well. Teddy had happily eaten all of his meals, had enjoyed an hour of playing in the park, and had allowed Harry to wash his hair during bath time. Teddy had even allowed Harry to dry him off and rub baby lotion on him. However, as soon as Harry had mentioned putting on pajamas, Teddy had lost it._

"_Teddy, I've had enough of this," Harry said. "Please, just let me get you dressed. We can watch a movie until you fall asleep. Just please come here."_

_Just then Harry noticed the curtains move. Walking as quietly as he could, he moved the curtains before picking up the now-screaming toddler._

"_NO! NO! NO!" _

"_We need to wear clothes, Teddy," Harry said, laying the child down to put a nappy on him, being careful to avoid his tiny, kicking legs. "We can't just run around naked."_

"_NO!" Teddy kept screaming. "NO WANT!"_

_After several minutes of struggling, Harry had finally gotten Teddy dressed._

"_There we go, Teddy," Harry said, feeling quite out of breath. "Was that really so bad?"_

_Teddy growled before throwing himself to the floor and screaming._

_Harry sighed, feeling grateful that Hermione had baby-proofed his flat a few months ago, so that Teddy wouldn't be able to accidentally hurt himself. "I'm sorry you're upset, Teddy, but you need to wear pajamas. It's winter now, and I don't want you getting sick."_

_Harry's heart hurt seeing his orphaned godson cry, however, he knew he had to remember Mrs. Weasley's advice that the best way to deal with a toddler temper tantrum was to ignore it. As much as he wanted Teddy to grow up in a loving, nurturing environment, he also wanted Teddy to grow up into a good, unspoiled person. He certainly didn't want Teddy to think that kicking and screaming was the way to get what you want in life._

_Harry kept the still-screaming Teddy in his line of sight, while sitting down on the couch and watching a children's movie, knowing that Teddy would eventually get tired and want to lie down._

_Sure enough, after ten minutes of continuous screaming, Teddy toddled over to the couch with his wolf cuddly toy and his blanket in his tiny arms._

"_Do you want to lie down, Teddy-bear?" Harry asked affectionately, reaching down to pick the toddler up._

_Teddy nodded, his hair and eyes subconsciously changing to match Harry's._

"_Okay, darling," Harry said, cuddling the little boy to his chest before laying down on the couch. "I love you."_

"_Lub oo," Teddy said, snuggling his head into Harry's chest._

* * *

"We'll just head upstairs and use one of the fireplaces to floo home," Tonks said, grabbing Remus hand and heading towards the door.

"No!" Harry blurted out. "Erm, I mean, erm, just… just wait a moment."

Both Remus and Tonks looked quite confused. "Alright," Remus said, looking concerned. "What's going on?"

Just as Harry began collecting his thoughts and figuring out how to explain the past twenty four years to Remus and Tonks, another person came running over.

"Hey, there, Harry!" Fred Weasley said. "You haven't seen George anywhere, have you? Or Ron? Or Percy? Or anyone really?"

As difficult as it was to see Remus and Tonks, it couldn't compare to how Harry felt seeing Fred. Ron's identical twin brothers, Fred and George, had been two of the first people to interact with him at Hogwarts, and despite them being two years older than him, they both welcomed him with open arms. While Harry had initially blamed himself for Fred's death, George, along with the rest of the Weasley family, had ensured him that it was not his fault and that Fred would not have blamed him.

* * *

_**May 7, 1998**_

"_Hey, mate," George said, opening the front door to the Weasley family home, affectionately called the "Burrow". "Come on in."_

_Harry hesitantly walked through the door._

"_It's been a while," George said, cheerfully. "I've been starting to think you've been avoiding us. Can I get you something to drink?"_

"_No, thanks," Harry answered quietly._

"_Okay," George said, plopping down on the couch. "What can I do for you?"_

_Harry sat down before awkwardly ringing his hands. "Well, I, erm, I just…" Harry paused, trying to work up the courage to speak to George. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry, you know, for… for everything."_

_George's happy facade began to fade._

"_Oh," George said, after a few seconds. "Well, you really haven't got anything to be sorry for."_

_Harry sighed. "Fred shouldn't be dead. He should be here. And he would have been here, if… if I had just gone to Voldemort sooner. But I didn't and now he's dead. And… I'm sorry."_

_As much as Harry tried to keep himself together, he couldn't stop himself from sobbing. He barely noticed, George wrapping his arms around him._

"_Shhh," George whispered soothingly. "It's going to be alright."_

_After a few minutes, Harry's sobbing began to subside._

"_Sorry," Harry chuckled._

"_It's alright," George said. "Honestly, you shouldn't bottle up your emotions like that. You'll explode."_

_Harry and George sat in silence for a few minutes before Harry spoke again._

"_How are you handling this so well?" Harry asked, realizing that he had rarely seen George cry over Fred's death and even when he had, it had only been a few tears rather than a sobbing fit. Also, on top of having to lose his identical twin and best friend, George also had to lose his closest unrelated friend, Ava Brennan, who was also Fred's girlfriend._

_George sighed. "I suppose I've had to, you know, for Tessa."_

_Harry nodded sadly._

_Theresa Maeve "Tessa" Brennan-Weasley was Fred and Ava's daughter who was born only one day before the Battle of Hogwarts which had killed both of her parents. Since the Battle of Hogwarts, George, along with the other members of the Weasley family had been taking care of Tessa._

"_How has Tessa been?"_

"_She's been good. I've just given her a bottle and put her down for a nap," George answered, looking quite sad. "It hurts that she probably doesn't even remember them anymore, though. "_

"_I just wish they could see her," George said after a few moments of silence._

* * *

"Oh, hi, Tonks. Hi, Remus. Have either of you seen George?" Fred asked.

"No, actually," said Remus. "I saw him earlier with Bill, but I haven't seen him since."

"Actually, that's part of what I wanted to talk to you about," Harry said, finally working up the courage to explain what happened, not only during the Battle of Hogwarts, but also over the past two decades.

After several minutes, Harry had managed to reiterate everything Professor McGonagall had informed him of, along with other details he thought might be helpful.

"Wow," Fred said, after several seconds.

"So, I guess our little one's not so little anymore," Tonks said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Nope," Harry confirmed. "If it helps, he's grown into a wonderful man and a very good person."

Remus nodded. "That's good to hear."

"How about Tessa?" Fred asked eagerly. "How is she?"

"What's this about Tessa?" Ava Brennan asked, entering the conversation.

"Oh, there you are, dear," Fred said, smirking mischievously. "How are your forties treating you?"

"What the fuck are you on about this time, Weasley?" Ava asked, with a hint of annoyance. "Anyway, Harry, did you hear something about Tessa? Is she alright?"

Harry quickly reexplained everything that had been going on to Ava.

"Oh, wow," said Ava. "That was certainly unexpected."

"Yep," Tonks and Fred said simultaneously.

"So, that would make Tessa twenty-four years old, now?" Ava asked Harry.

"Yes," Harry confirmed.

"What's she like?" Fred asked, seemingly eager to hear more about his daughter.

"Well, she's really a lovely person," Harry answered honestly. "Just as mischievous as should be expected, though."

"Oh, yes," said Professor McGonagall, who seemed to overhear some of the conversation. "But certainly a bright girl."

"Well, that's good news," said Ava.

Harry nodded. "George has done quite a good job raising her. I don't want to reveal too much, though. You should get to meet her first."

Fred and Ava nodded excitedly.

"I think we should start getting everyone back home," Professor McGonagall told Harry.

"Alright, then," Harry said, standing up.

"You can take Remus, Tonks, Fred, Ava, and your parents wherever you feel is best," Professor McGonagall. "I can handle the rest."

"Are you sure, Professor?" Harry asked, noting that there must have been at least a few dozen people wandering the Great Hall.

"I'm quite sure, Harry," Professor McGonagall said, smiling. "You've certainly helped enough, and I wouldn't have bothered you had this not so clearly involved you."

"Alright, Professor," Harry said leading his small group out of the Great Hall and into Professor McGonagall's office, so that they could floo back to his home. "Good luck."


	3. Chapter 3

After flooing to the home he and Valerie shared, Harry waited a few minutes for James, Lily, Remus, Tonks, Fred, and Ava to all emerge from the fireplace.

"Wow," James said, as he climbed out of the fireplace. "Nice place you've got."

"Thanks," Harry responded, feeling oddly happy that his parents seemed to like his home.

"This isn't Ginny," Fred remarked, sounding surprised, looking at a picture on the mantle of Harry and Valerie on their wedding day.

"Nope," Harry said.

"She _is_ a ginger, though," noted Remus. "It seems you Potters have a type."

Harry chuckled. "It seems so."

"She seems lovely," Lily said, studying the photograph. "What's her name?"

"Valerie," Harry answered, thinking fondly of his wife, who was likely still laying down.

"That's a cute name," remarked Tonks. "How did you meet? Hogwarts, most likely?"

"Well, no, she's actually a muggle," Harry revealed, before starting the story of how he met his wife.

* * *

_**November 17, 1998**_

_If Harry thought that the amount of attention he received after the end of the war was excessive, it was nothing compared to the amount of attention he received after he and Ginny broke up. A few weeks after the war had ended, he and Ginny had both realized that the love they shared was much more familial than romantic, which made sense given that Ginny was Harry's best friend Ron's younger sister, and Harry had basically grown up with her. While Harry loved the close friendship he shared with Ginny, being bombarded by girls everywhere he went was certainly not what he was expecting or hoping for. As much as he might have liked the idea of being in a romantic relationship, he didn't want to date someone who only wanted to be with him for money or fame._

_This was exactly why, rather than going to one of the cafés in Diagon Alley for his lunch break, Harry had chosen to take the short walk from the Ministry of Magic headquarters, where he worked as a trainee auror, to the muggle part of central London for something to eat._

_Just as Harry turned a corner onto a rather busy street lined with rather expensive-looking stores, he was bombarded with a faceful of red hair._

"_Oh, sorry," said a young woman. "I didn't see you there."_

_Harry watched as the woman's eyes moved to his forehead, and he immediately worried that he had somehow managed to run into a witch._

"_Oh, shit!" the woman exclaimed, reaching up to Harry's forehead. "Did I scratch you?"_

_Out of instinct, Harry pulled away, flattening his hair against his forehead with his hands. "Erm, no, it's fine. It's nothing."_

_The woman quickly moved closer to Harry and moved his hair out of his face. "No, no, no, let me check. I know I saw something."_

_Harry extremely reluctantly and nervously allowed the woman to check his forehead._

"_Oh, it looks like a rather old mark," she said, tracing Harry's scar with her finger. "Kinda looks like a bolt of lightning."_

_Harry let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. "Oh, yeah, that's an old one."_

"_I'm going to get lunch," the woman said. "Would you want to join me? It's the least I could do after nearly tackling you and then harassing you."_

_Harry laughed. "Sure. I was actually looking to grab some lunch as well."_

"_Great!" the woman said. "I know this really nice café a small walk away."_

_The woman immediately linked arms with Harry, before leading the way to the place she and Harry were going to have lunch._

"_If you don't mind me asking, where'd you get your scar?" the woman asked, after less than a minute of walking._

"_Car accident," Harry said, finally deciding on a believable excuse. "When I was a baby."_

"_Oh, sorry about that," the woman said. "Face scars are interesting, though. I have one, too." She moved some of her hair out of her face to reveal a small scar on her cheek near her ear._

"_Where'd you get your's?" Harry asked. _

_The woman paused for a moment before saying, "In primary school, playing football."_

_As Harry and the young red-haired woman continued walking to the café, they spoke about a variety of topics. Harry learned that the woman was from a small town in the north of England and had just moved to London to study politics. He had tried his best to stick as close to the truth as possible without revealing anything about magic when answering the woman's questions, stating that he had gone to a boarding school in Scotland and was working in law enforcement in London._

"_So, did you grow up here in London?" the woman asked, once she and Harry were seated. "You know, outside of boarding school."_

"_No, I actually grew up in Surrey," Harry said._

"_Oh," that woman nodded, as though something had clicked in her head. "That certainly explains boarding school and the accent."_

"_What accent?" Harry said, having never really thought about how his voice sounded before._

"_Well, there's nothing _wrong _with it," the woman chuckled. "It's just, you know, a bit posh."_

"_I do _not _have a posh accent," Harry said. _

"_I never said it was a bad thing," the woman said, holding back a laugh. "But it definitely is posh. 'Jolly good day, sir. What _marvellous _weather we've been having. Simply splendid. Just smashing.'"_

_Harry laughed at the woman's ridiculous attempt at a "posh" accent._

"_I do not sound like that," Harry said, still laughing._

"_Sure, you don't," the woman said jokingly._

_Just as both Harry and the woman were about to go their separate ways after eating lunch, Harry made an important realization._

"_I've just realized you haven't told me your name," Harry said._

"_Valerie," the woman answered. "And yours."_

"_Harry."_

"_Well, it was very nice to meet you, Harry," Valerie answered. "I hope we can talk again sometime soon. Maybe next week?"_

"_Sure," Harry answered, eager to see Valerie again. "Same place?"_

"_Of course," Valerie said. "See you then."_

* * *

"And a few weeks later, we started dating, and then we got married a few years after that," Harry said, ending the story.

"Awww, that's so sweet," James said.

"I can't wait to meet her," said Lily.

"Are these your kids, Harry?" Remus asked, looking at a picture of Jamie, Al, and Kate that was taken over the summer.

"Yes," Harry said, standing up from the couch and walking over to the picture that Remus was looking at.

"We've got grandchildren, Lily!" James exclaimed. "Can you believe it? What are their names?"

"This is Kate. This is Al. A-and this is Jamie," Harry said, stammering slightly when he got to Jamie. Just then, Harry was flooded with emotions, thinking of his son who was still unconscious and in a hospital bed.

"What's up?" Lily said, gently. "Is something the matter? Did we say something wrong?"

Harry quickly wiped his eyes. "No, no. It's...It's just Jamie got hurt playing quidditch. He's… well, he's at St. Mungo's right now in a coma… so it's just been… it's been hard."

James gasped. "I'm so sorry."

"How long has he been there for?" Remus asked sympathetically.

"One month, three weeks, and five days," Harry said, automatically. "I've...I've been counting."

"I'm guessing your wife and other kids are at St. Mungo's with Jamie," Fred remarked, after a short pause.

"Yes," Harry responded. "We all sat and ate dinner in his hospital room, and then we just stayed there overnight."

"We'd love to meet your family," Lily said. "If that's okay."

"Of course," said Harry. "I was actually thinking of going over there. Valerie's probably wondering where I am."

After a few minutes, Harry, along with the group of people he hadn't seen in several decades, were standing outside Jamie's hospital door.

As Harry opened the door, he was surprised to see Ginny Weasley and her husband, Draco.

"Oh, hi, Harry," Ginny greeted. "Who are all these-"

Ginny cheerful smile faded immediately after everyone entered the room.

"Hey, Gin," Fred said, smiling, causing Harry to think that, despite having just returned from the dead, Fred certainly seemed to have a death wish.

Ginny closed her eyes, before pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Please tell me that this is one of Susan and Nancy's pranks, and they've decided to give George a fake left ear just to fuck with everyone."

Susan and Nancy Arnold were Ginny's brother Percy and his wife, Audrey's, identical twin daughters. Despite Percy being the most serious and haughty of Molly and Arthur Weasley's children, Percy's twin daughters ended up rivalling both Fred and George and Harry's father and his friends in crazy antics. Throughout their time at Hogwarts, Susan and Nancy had pulled pranks that had surprised both teachers and students alike. In fact, Professor McGonagall had even admitted that the pranks pulled by Susan and Nancy far superseded any of the pranks she had witnessed before or since. While Percy had seemed to get quite irritated and frustrated with Fred and George's antics in his youth, he seemed quite proud of his mischievous daughters.

"No, unfortunately," Harry said, chuckling slightly. "Or fortunately, depending on how you look at-"

Harry was cut off by a resounding slap.

"IF YOU _EVER_ FUCKING DO SOMETHING SO FUCKING STUPID _EVER _AGAIN, I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Ginny roared at Fred.

Before Fred could defend himself, Ginny grabbed him into a bone-crushing hug, which was rather funny to look at given that Ginny was at least a foot shorter than Fred.

"I'm sorry, Gin," Fred said, quietly, returning the hug.

Ginny pulled away, chuckling through her tears. "It's not me you should be apologizing to."

"I know," said Fred sheepishly. "I'm guessing Mum was in a right state."

"To say the least," Ginny said, before turning to Harry. "So, I think I deserve an explanation."

Harry went on to explain the events that happened earlier that day.

"Wow," Ginny responded.

"You're at least the third person to respond like that," Harry remarked.

"And you decided to come here first?" Ginny said, completely disregarding Harry's remark.

"Well, to be fair, I thought my wife and my two other children would be here," Harry said, honestly.

"Oh, yeah," Ginny said, seemingly just remembering that Harry's family had been there earlier that day. "They wanted to stay, but Kate was getting quite hungry. They tried flooing to your and Valerie's place, but the fireplace was busy. I'm guessing because you all were using it. So they just flooed to Mum and Dad's."

"Oh, that makes sense," Harry said. "How has Jamie been?"

"He's been moaning quite a bit," Ginny said. "Hasn't he, Draco?"

"Oh, yeah," Draco agreed. "I haven't been able to get through two sentences without him interrupting."

Ginny moved over to sit next to Draco. "It seems like he's tired himself out, though. He was pretty quiet through all of the talking."

"Nope," Draco corrected. "He was still moaning, albeit quietly."

"If you don't mind me asking," Fred said glaring at Draco. "What are you doing here, _Malfoy_?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's actually Weasley, now," Draco said pointedly.

"_Ginny?!" _Fred immediately turned to Ginny. "Wha- Why? Why would you-? _What?_"

Ginny chuckled. "You know, it could've been Ron that turned him from a Malfoy to a Weasley. Or George."

Fred gasped. "George would never, _ever_, betray the Gryffindor pact!"

"Well, he _did_ marry a Ravenclaw," Harry pointed out.

"Doesn't count!" Fred defended, playfully sticking out his tongue.

"And aren't _you_ currently dating a Slytherin?" Ginny pointed out, chuckling.

"He also has a child with said Slytherin," Ava added, leaning against the door, smirking.

"That doesn't count either!" Fred defending himself.

"How did this happen anyway?" Remus asked. "I was under the impression you hated each other."

"Oh, we did," Ginny said, honestly. "But that changed after a while."

* * *

_**May 2, 1998**_

_Harry was certain his ears were deceiving him. Surely, he hadn't just heard Draco Malfoy defy Voldemort's request for him to stand alongside him and the Death Eaters. _

"_No?" Voldemort asked, apparently just as shocked as Harry at Draco's decision. _

"_No," Draco repeated, this time with much more confidence._

"_Why, Draco?" Voldemort said. "After all I have done for your family. All of the second chances I have given, and you refuse to stand with me."_

"_You wanted me to kill my baby," Draco said, barely above a whisper._

"_Well," Voldemort said, sounding taken aback. "I was under the impression that you followed my orders and killed that useless thing."_

"_He is _not _a thing," Draco said, angrily. "And he would not have existed in the first place, if you hadn't told my aunt to rape me."_

"_I thought you and your parents would have been thrilled in my allowing the Malfoys a chance to finally have a useful offspring with my most loyal follower," Voldemort said, clearly growing angry._

"_We were thrilled," Draco's mother, Narcissa, blurted out, attempting to defend her son. "We're just disappointed by the child's faults."_

"_There is nothing wrong with being deaf, Mum!" Draco said, defensively. _

"_Be quiet, Draco," Draco's father, Lucius, said, in an angry hushed whisper._

"_I will give you one more chance, Draco," Voldemort said, with an air of finality. "Will you join my ranks?"_

"_My answer was and is final," Draco said._

_Voldemort sighed angrily. "While I would love to publicly humiliate you, I have more important matters to deal with at the moment."_

_Just then Voldemort asked if anyone who was originally on Harry's side wanted to take Draco's place among the Death Eaters._

_The next few moments were a blur, which included Neville standing up, defending Harry, and getting tortured for it, and everyone on Harry's side, now including Draco, immediately jumped to help Neville._

_After a while of fighting, the war was over, Voldemort was defeated, and the Death Eaters were all either killed or sent to Azkaban. While walking around and observing what was left of Hogwarts, Harry and Draco glanced at each other before exchanging a nod and going their separate ways._

* * *

_**June 5, 1998 (Ginny's POV)**_

_Since the end of the Battle of Hogwarts, the Weasley family had been trying their best to show Draco that there was no bad blood between him and their family. So much so that once a week since the end of the war, one of the members of the Weasley family would visit Draco's small flat in London to see if he and his son, Scorpius, who was now just over three months old, were doing alright. Today, which also happened to be Draco's eighteenth birthday, was Ginny's turn._

"_Hello, Weasley," Draco said, answering the door._

"_Good evening, Draco," Ginny said, cheerfully._

_Ginny was actually beginning to enjoy her visits to Draco's flat. While, at first, there was a lot of bickering between the two, given the turbulent history between their families, the bickering soon shifted from harsh insults to more playful teasing. _

"_When will you and your family leave me alone?" Draco asked, however without much edge in his voice._

_Ginny pretended to think for a moment. "Probably never, if I'm honest."_

_Draco chuckled and shook his head. "Why don't you come inside?" He moved over allowing Ginny to walk through the door._

_Ginny immediately walked over to the fridge and grabbed herself a bottle of butterbeer, before plopping down on the couch._

"_Comfortable, Weasley?" Draco smirked. _

"_Very," Ginny said, smiling back at Draco._

_Ginny quite enjoyed the dynamic she and Draco were beginning to have, and while she was certain Draco wouldn't admit it, Ginny felt that they were quickly becoming friends, or at very least were now on friendly terms. _

"_So, how's little Scorpy been?" Ginny asked, now lounging across Draco's couch._

"_Don't call him that," Draco sighed. "Honestly, he'll start thinking that's his name."_

_Ginny laughed. "And how is that worse than what his name actually is?"_

_Draco sighed frustratedly. "Fine, you win. But it's not my fault, my mother named him that ridiculous name. Honestly, why on Earth would you call a child 'Scorpius Hyperion'?"_

_Ginny shrugged. "It fits the pretentious pureblood vibe. Plus he _has _got quite an aristocratic look about him, don't you think?"_

_Draco smiled and shook his head. "Fair enough, I suppose."_

_Ginny laughed._

"_So, what are you doing for your birthday, Draco?" Ginny asked, before taking another sip of butterbeer._

"_Nothing really," Draco answered. "And how, may I ask, did you know today was my birthday?"_

"_I know everything," Ginny said in a serious voice. _

"_So, you really aren't doing anything?" Ginny repeated._

"_Nope," Draco said. "Just spending time with a sleeping infant."_

_Ginny had learned from her last visit that Scorpius was finally beginning to sleep through the night._

"_Do _you _have any plans, Weasley?" Draco asked. "You seem so interested in how I'm spending my evening, I should at least pretend to be interested in how you're spending yours."_

"_Well," Ginny said. "I'm actually handing my friend's infant son over to my mother and taking his boring arse to the pub for his birthday."_

"_Wow," Draco said in mock surprise. "I didn't know you had a boring arse friend who shares my birthday and has an infant son. Fascinating!"_

_Ginny rolled her eyes. "Come on, you!" Ginny said, standing up. "I'm going to fetch little Scorpy-"_

"_Please, stop calling him that!"_

"_And then I'm dragging you to the pub, and you will have a great time or else."_

"_Wow, threatening someone on their birthday," Draco said, pretending to be deeply offended. "That's low, Weasley. Somehow, I expected better of you."_

_Ginny laughed. "Honestly, Draco, that was a mistake on your part."_

_Draco also began laughing. "Fair enough."_

* * *

"That's actually quite sweet," Fred said smiling. "You're making it quite difficult to hate this."

"That was the plan," Ginny said, draping her arm over Draco's shoulders.

"So, you took her surname?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," Draco said. "I really didn't want to be a 'Malfoy' for any longer than I needed to be. I changed Scorpius' name, too."

"That's good," James said. "Gives you a fresh start."

"When did you stop calling her 'Weasley'?" Remus asked.

"Oh, he hasn't," Ginny informed. "I have to keep reminding him that both he and our kids can be called 'Weasley', so he really should be more specific."

"I did offer to call you 'Mummy Weasley'," Draco said, defending himself.

"You will never call me that so long as you want to continue sleeping in the same bed with me," Ginny said quite seriously.

Everyone other than Draco and Ginny chuckled.

"Well, I think we should be going," Harry said, checking his watch. "Valerie's probably wondering what McGonagall's done to me."

Harry, Fred, Ava, James, Lily, Remus, and Tonks each greeted Ginny, Draco, and Jamie before leaving to floo to the Burrow.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh, that must be Harry," Harry heard Mrs. Weasley say from the dining room just after Harry had stepped out of the fireplace. Luckily, it had been decided that Harry should arrive about ten minutes before everyone else so that he could explain the events of earlier that day.

"Hello, dear," greeted Mrs. Weasley, who now looked to be in her early thirties, rushing over to give Harry a hug.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley. Is everyone else here?" Harry knew that there was going to be a New Year's dinner at the Burrow that evening and that most of the members of the large Weasley family were planning to help with party preparations.

"Yes, yes," said Mrs. Weasley. "Well, everyone except Ginny and Draco, they're with Jamie. And I believe Tessa is doing some press for quidditch. Oh, and George and Luna, of course." George and his wife, Luna Lovegood, had just had quadruplets six days prior on Christmas Day.

Harry nodded in understanding.

"I, erm, I actually have a bit of an announcement," Harry said, carefully choosing his words.

"Alright," said Mrs. Weasley, looking somewhat concerned. "We're all in the dining room."

Mrs. Weasley led Harry into the dining room, where everyone else either was finished with or finishing up their breakfast. "Harry's here. He says he has an announcement."

"Is everything alright?" Valerie said, standing up. "Is this something about why McGonagall needed you?"

"Erm, well, yes," Harry said awkwardly before starting his explanation.

After Harry explained the events that unfolded early that morning, he looked around the room. While those who hadn't known anyone that had been lost in the war seemed fairly confused and surprised, those who had been close to at least one person lost in the war looked completely taken aback.

"So, F-Freddie's back? He's here?" a teary-eyed Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Yes," confirmed Harry, checking his watch and seeing that nearly ten minutes had passed. "He and the others should be here any minute."

Mrs. Weasley quickly wiped her tears and stood up. "How many people are coming? We'll probably need some extra chairs. Does Georgie know?"

"It's Fred, Ava, Remus, Tonks, and my parents," Harry answered, hesitating slightly when mentioning that his parents would also be there. "And George doesn't know, not yet at least."

Mrs. Weasley nodded, summoning some spare chairs.

"Honestly, Mum, Fred won't care if the chairs are straight," Ron said, rolling his eyes. Mrs. Weasley, however, continued making a huge fuss about cleaning.

Just then, the fireplace roared, and people were heard stepping out of it.

Mrs. Weasley went pale. "That must be them," she whispered frantically, straightening all the chairs. Harry noticed Ron shaking his head before quickly refilling all of the breakfast plates.

"I'll just go get them," Harry said, leaving the dining room.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" asked Fred, looking in awe at the very large living room.

Harry chuckled. "The Burrow has had a few, erm, renovations since you've last seen it."

After the war had ended, Harry, along with the supervision of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, saw that the Burrow was completely redone so that it could, not only easily fit the current Weasley family members, but also future Weasley family members and friends.

"No kidding," Fred said, still looking around. "It's a mansion."

"Well, your parents needed space to fit all of the grandchildren, biological or otherwise," Harry said, smiling at Fred's excitement.

"Let's go to the dining room," Harry said. "Everyone wants to see you."

"Hi, everyone!" Fred said, as soon as he entered the dining room.

While Harry had expected Mrs. Weasley to immediately run over to Fred, like she had when she thought something had happened to him and George after the Quidditch World Cup just before Harry's fourth year, Harry was shocked to see that Mrs. Weasley seemed completely unable to move or speak.

"Come on, Mum," Fred said, his smile slightly fading. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded frantically, covering her mouth, likely to suppress her sobs.

"Oh, Mum," Fred sighed his smile now completely gone, rushing over to his mother and holding her tightly.

"Let's go sit down," Fred whispered, awkwardly maneuvering himself and his mother, who continued clinging to him and sobbing, out of the dining room and, likely, into the living room.

"That went well," James said, looking fairly shocked.

"Daddy, why is Gran sad to see Uncle George?" Kate asked, innocently.

Harry sat down next to his daughter. "Well, Katie, do you remember how I told you Uncle George had a twin brother?"

"Yes," Kate said, excitedly. "You said Uncle Fred looked just like Uncle George and had the same birthday, just like Susan and Nancy."

"Exactly," Harry said. "Now, think about what I just told everyone when I came in here."

Kate thought for a moment before her eyes lit up. "Oh, that was Uncle Fred! And Gran's crying because she's happy, not sad."

"Yes, Katie," Harry said, happily.

"I suppose you're all hungry," Mr. Weasley said, standing up and clearly trying his best to appear calm and collected through his shaky voice and tear-filled eyes. "Please, please, sit down."

"Thank you, Arthur," Remus said kindly, before taking a seat next to Hermione.

After a few minutes, Harry, along with most of those who had arrived a few minutes ago, were eating their breakfast.

"I'll go bring some for… for F-Fred," Arthur said, quickly placing some food on a plate and leaving the room.

After everyone was done eating breakfast, those in the dining room had decided to join Fred, Mrs. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley in the living room. While Harry had gotten quite used to seeing both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley with bloodshot, teary eyes in the years following the war, he was shocked to see Fred with tears in his eyes as well. Harry was certain he had never seen Fred cry before.

"It looks like Georgie's missing all the fun," said Fred, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes. "Where is he, anyway? I thought you were all prepping for a party. I hope he's not slacking off."

Mrs. Weasley chuckled. "He and his wife have their hands full, taking care of four newborns."

"Blimey, _four_ newborns!" Fred said, sounding shocked. "Merlin, I can't even believe he's already married."

"Well, you were gone a while, Fred," Arthur chuckled.

"Who's he married to?" Fred asked, still sounding in awe.

"Remember Luna Lovegood?" Harry asked. "She was in the D.A. Same year as Ginny."

Fred thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah, Ravenclaw, long blonde hair, giant eyes that stare into your soul. Yeah, I remember. Is George married to her?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed.

"Oh," Fred said, sounding quite surprised. "I'll admit I was a bit surprised when you said he was married to a Ravenclaw, but I wouldn't have guessed it would be Luna. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't she a bit…odd?"

"Well, yes," Mrs. Weasley said. "But I think that's exactly what he needed after everything."

* * *

_**June 28, 2001 (George's POV)**_

_George had decided to take the slow work day at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the joke shop that he had started with his late twin brother, Fred, as an opportunity to do some prep work in the shop before Hogwarts closed for the summer and the store was full from open to close everyday for two months. _

_As the store was mostly empty, George had decided to bring his adoptive five-year-old son, Freddie, and his three-year-old niece, Tessa, to the store rather than leaving them with his parents as he usually did. George had received custody of Tessa when she was only a day old, after her parents, Fred and his girlfriend, Ava, were killed during the Battle of Hogwarts. _

_Despite already having a child to take care of, George had chosen to adopt Freddie after he had found the boy stranded near Knockturn Alley on Christmas Eve two years ago when Freddie was only three years old. Soon after finding Freddie and trying to return him to his family, George learned that Freddie had been abandoned by his parents when they realized he was a squib. From that moment, George had raised Freddie as his own, alongside Tessa._

_After going to a nearby café for lunch, George and the kids returned to the shop. George handed Freddie and Tessa a pair of Pygmy Puffs to play with before starting on the window display that he was hoping to have up by the time the Hogwarts-aged children showed up. _

_After only a few minutes, the bell above the front door rang signalling that someone had just entered the shop. George looked up to see a young woman with long blonde hair and large pale blue eyes. While he vaguely recognized the woman as one of Ginny's friends, he couldn't quite remember her name._

"_Hi, there," George greeted, cheerfully._

"_Hello, George," the woman said, smiling brightly. "How are you?"_

"_Erm, I'm fine, thanks," George said, wondering how the woman knew his name, but thinking that Ginny must have told her. "You?"_

"_I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking," the woman said, sounding as though George was the first person to ever ask her how she was. "My name is Luna, by the way."_

_George wondered how she knew he didn't know her name. "Are you looking for anything in particular?" George asked._

"_No. Not really," Luna said. "Ginny said that you opened the store again, and I really wanted to see it. It brightens up the whole street."_

"_Thank you," George said sincerely, feeling grateful that the store brought Luna enough joy for her to come and tell him. "That really means a lot."_

_Luna nodded, somewhat sadly. "I know it must have been difficult after everything."_

_George suddenly felt overcome with memories of Fred. He seemed to have lost all awareness of where he was and was brought fully back to three years ago when Fred had died. _

_He was quickly brought back by Luna grabbing his head with her hands and covering his remaining ear._

"_What the-," said George, startled and almost forgetting that there were children fairly close by. "What are you doing?"_

"_Protecting you from wrackspurts," Luna said calmly, continuing to hold his head. "Quick think positive thoughts."_

"_Erm, okay," George said, feeling quite confused. "What are wrack...sprouts?"_

"_Wrack_spurts _are tiny invisible creatures that float in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy," Luna explained matter-of-factly. "They can make you lose complete awareness of where you are and what you were doing."_

_While George wasn't entirely sure if he believed that there were tiny invisible creatures floating around attacking people's brains, he did feel that since Fred's death, there had been a wrackspurt-like creature following him. One moment he would be perfectly fine, and suddenly, he would be completely overcome with thoughts of Fred. _

"_What do I do to make them go away?" George asked, thinking that if he was being followed by an invisible creature, perhaps Luna would help him dispel it._

_Luna released her grip on George's head. "Well, there's no way to keep them from coming back, but the best way to stop them when they do get you is to think positive thoughts. Sometimes, it's also good to have someone to talk to. Wrackspurts can make it difficult to think positively, but if you have someone to talk to they can help you stay positive."_

_George contemplated what Luna had just said. Whether or not wrackspurts truly existed, positive thinking and someone to talk to seemed like they could be could methods to help him deal with his bouts of grief._

"_Thanks, Luna," George said. "I'll definitely try that."_

"_You're welcome, George," Luna said._

* * *

"I suppose so," Fred said, still sounding unconvinced.

"Why is this so surprising for you?" Ron asked. "You're the one that fell in love with your worst enemy."

"That is true," Ava said.

Fred scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, dear. You weren't much more than a minor annoyance."

"Oh, please," Percy said. "I can't even count the amount of times I had to threaten you two to get you to stop fighting."

"When I had them in my class, everyday they would do passive-aggressive things to frustrate each other until one of them cracked and started screaming," Remus added. "After less than a month, I had to separate them for my own sake."

"Was it just you or you and George? I know you're usually a package deal," Tonks said.

"Just him," Ava answered. "George is a sweetheart. He wouldn't do that."

"That's only because George is scared of you," Fred said.

Ava simply shrugged.

Harry knew that, during Fred and George's first two years at Hogwarts, neither of the twins got along with Ava. However, after being paired together for a potions project, George and Ava became quite close friends. In fact, the only times that Fred and Ava tolerated each other was on Fred and George's birthday because George had said that he didn't want his best friends fighting on his birthday.

"Was it one-sided bickering like James and I before seventh year or was it actual full-blown fighting?" Lily asked, clearly eager to forge a bond between herself and those that she didn't get a chance to meet before she died.

"Definitely fighting," several people, including Harry, answered at once.

* * *

_**September 24, 1993 (Remus's POV)**_

"_What are you doing, Weasley?!" Ava angrily hush-whispered. _

_Remus sighed and tried his best to ignore what seemed like the beginning of yet another Brennan-Weasley argument._

_Fred rolled his eyes. "I don't know what _you _are up to, but _I _am trying to work, Brennan. If you could just stop jabbing your bloody elbow into my hand, maybe I could get some work done."_

_Ava scoffed. "Well, if you had just let me sit on the other end of the table, I wouldn't have to get my elbow shoved by _your _bloody hand."_

_Remus recalled the very first day of class when Ava, having only shown up when all but one seat was filled, asked Katie Bell, who sat on the far left side of that particular table, if she could switch seats with her as Ava was left-handed and didn't want to bump anyone. Despite Katie being perfectly willing to switch seats with Ava, Fred had thrown a huge fit, remarking that Ava would have to take the seat she got. _

"_I'm Ava Brennan, Slytherin princess, and I deserve to sit wherever I want regardless of who was sitting there first," Fred mocked._

"_I don't have time for this," Ava muttered, rolling her eyes before scooting her chair further away from Fred._

_It seemed as though the argument had fizzled out, with both Ava and Fred quietly finishing their work, albeit occasionally grumbling. _

_After only a few minutes of peace and quiet, the fighting started up again._

"_Ow, Brennan!" shouted Fred, after Ava elbowed his hand so hard that his quill skidded across the table. "What the fuck?"_

"_Oops, sorry, Weasley," Ava said, in a sarcastically cheerful voice. "Didn't see you there."_

_Fred stood up, angrily slamming his hands on the table. "I've fucking had it with you!"_

_Ava stood up as well. "You've had it with me? _You _have had it with _me_?!"_

"_I believe that's what I've said, Brennan. I know you have trouble understanding this, but not everyone _loves _you and your entitled Slytherin attitude and your bitchy judgemental face!"_

_Ava scoffed. "Is that so? Well, not everyone thinks so little of their future that they're willing to waste it away on stupid jokes!"_

"_Oh, really?!" Fred screamed._

_Just as George and Katie quickly stood up to hold Fred and Ava back to prevent them from physically attacking each other, Remus decided that he had to put a stop to what had become a daily ritual between Fred and Ava._

"_Alright, alright," Remus said, pulling Fred and Ava apart, before leading them to separate sides of the classroom. "Seeing as you two refuse to get along, you will continue to sit in your newly assigned seats for the remainder of the year. Understood?"_

"_Yes, Professor Lupin," Fred and Ava grumbled simultaneously._

_Less than a minute after class was dismissed, Remus overheard Ava and Fred once again arguing and hoped that the new seating arrangement would at very least prevent him from having to deal with them._

* * *

"Oh, wow, you two really hated each other," James remarked. "What is it in particular that you two didn't like?"

Ava and Fred sat silently for a few moments.

"I'm not quite sure," Ava said honestly.

"Me, neither," Fred agreed, seeming surprised. "Back when we were fighting every second, I probably could've given you a list of things I hated about her, but I genuinely can't think of one right now."

"That's actually quite sweet, Weasley," Ava said, likely using her smirk to try to hide the fact that she was blushing.

"I try, Brennan, I try," Fred sighed, dramatically.

"And you two have a child together?" Lily asked.

"Yes," Fred answered brightly, while Ava searched her pockets.

"I took this picture of her with me when I went to fight at Hogwarts," Ava said, removing from her pocket and showing Lily and James a small photograph of newborn baby Tessa.

"Oh, she's adorable," said Lily. "What's her name?"

"Theresa Maeve Brennan-Weasley," Fred and Ava answered simultaneously.

"We call her 'Tessa', though," Fred added. "A bit less of a mouthful."

"I can't believe there was ever a time you two didn't get along," said Tonks, once everyone was done fondly looking at the picture of baby Tessa. "I've only known you two as a couple."

"Imagine how I felt," Remus commented. "Throughout my time teaching them they couldn't stand each other, and then suddenly, barely three years later, they show up here for Christmas happy as anything."

"When did you two get together anyway?" Percy asked. "I also remember being quite shocked hearing that you two had a child together. I was certain it was another one of your pranks."

* * *

_**July 2, 1996 (Fred's POV)**_

_Fred and George took the long way home from a nearby muggle village laughing joyfully._

"_That girl is absolutely stunning," Fred said, chuckling, thinking back on several minutes ago, when he and George were doing card tricks for the muggle girl who worked at the paper shop._

"_Gorgeous," George said, nodding. "I'm pretty sure she's taken. I saw a pretty big ring on her left ring finger. Nothing wrong with some harmless flirting, though."_

"_Agreed, Georgie."_

_Just then, they turned the corner into a rather run-down area._

"_Wow," Fred said. "This place might be poorer than our family is."_

_Fred looked around and noticed that the street was lined with decrepit buildings and run down shops. The roofs of most of the buildings were poorly patched and many of the windows, all of which were barred to prevent thieves, were cracked. _

_Looking at this poor neighborhood, Fred felt grateful for the little he had growing up. While he may not have had much, he, at very least, had a house that wouldn't fall apart due to a little bit of rain._

_As Fred and George continued down the street, Fred noticed someone very familiar from the corner of his eye. Fred turned to take a closer look._

"_Is that-?" Fred started._

"_I think that's Ava," George said, looking a bit concerned._

_The girl who looked quite a lot like Ava Brennan was working on a rather old looking truck in what looked like a car repair shop._

_Fred and George stood and watched the girl for a few minutes as she finished working on the truck and handed the keys back to the owner._

"_Well, here you go, Mr. Thomas," the girl said, smiling. "It should be working much better, now."_

"_Thank you, Ava," said the old man, handing some muggle money to the girl. "Have a nice day. Take care of yourself."_

_Ava chuckled, taking the money. "You, too, Mr. Thomas. Thank you."_

_Just as Fred and George were about to walk away, Ava turned and spotted them._

"_George? Is that you?" Ava asked._

"_Oh, hi, Ava," George said, somewhat awkwardly._

"_I would hug you, but," Ava gestured to her grease-covered hands and clothing._

_George laughed. "Yeah, I'd rather not hug you, right now, either."_

"_What are you doing here?" Ava asked. "You don't live here, do you?"_

"_Erm, no, not exactly," George answered honestly. "We live in Ottery St. Catchpole."_

"_Oh," Ava said, her smile fading slightly. "That's not too far away. Not the best place either, I suppose."_

_Fred was shocked to see that Ava looked quite surprised to hear where they were from._

_George nodded. "Looks like Windsor compared to this place, though."_

_Ava laughed. "I suppose you're right."_

_Fred was quite surprised at her response. He had expected Ava to be quite offended._

"_What's wrong, Weasley?" Ava said, turning to Fred. "Kneazle got your tongue."_

"_No," Fred said, finding it difficult to build up his usual aggression towards Ava when he looked around at where she worked and most likely lived. "What's a snobby Slytherin like you doing here?"_

_Ava glared at Fred. "It's kind of what happens when one of your parents kills the other in a drunken rage and ends up in prison, leaving their eight-year-old with no one willing to look after her," Ava said simply._

_Fred had no response, and simply__ contemplated what Ava had just said. He had always thought that Ava was a snobby entitled rich girl. He had never expected her to live in an area even poorer than where he and his family lived, with no family to care for her. _

"_What no snide comments, Weasley?" Ava challenged._

"_I-I'm so sorry," Fred said, feeling quite badly for Ava._

_Ava rolled her eyes. "I don't want your pity, Weasley." Ava promptly turned away, unzipped and stepped out of the coveralls she wore to protect her clothing while she worked, and washed her hands at the sink in the repair shop. _

"_Who do you live with then?" George asked, his voice sounding oddly quiet. _

"_I used to live in the group home just down the street," Ava answered, wiping her hands off on a piece of cloth. "But I aged out at fifteen. After that, I lived with some older friends. They're basically like family at this point. McGonagall had to come over to explain magic __to them once I started living with them."_

_Fred and George nodded in understanding._

"_Are you done for the day?" George asked. _

"_Yeah, Mr. Ware's son, Mark, and I usually do the bigger repairs earlier in the day, and Mr. Ware usually does the smaller ones later, oil changes, air filters, that sort of thing," Ava answered simply. "Mark had something to do at university today, so it was just me, but it was a really slow day today, so it wasn't too bad."_

"_Do you want to come over for lunch?" Fred found himself suddenly asking. _

_Both Ava and George looked quite surprised, and Fred felt quite certain his own face looked just as shocked._

_George seemed to be the first to be able to come back to his senses._

"_Our mum's a really great cook, and she definitely loves guests," George said._

"_Erm, okay," Ava agreed hesitantly. "I haven't got anything better to do."_

* * *

"So, in the end, poverty and Mum's cooking brought these two staunch enemies together," Ron said, pretending to wipe a tear.

"Oh, shut up, you," Fred said, rolling his eyes.

Ron simply stuck out his tongue.

"Well, this has been fun," Mrs. Weasley said, standing up. "But we have a dinner to prepare for, and Fred has a twin to visit, so let's get to work."

Everyone nodded and those who had been given tasks earlier that week started on those tasks.

"Is there anything you need us to do, Mrs. Weasley?" Tonks asked eagerly, almost tripping over herself.

"Are you sure, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, likely remembering Tonks' clumsiness.

"We'd love to help," said Lily, smiling brightly. Remus and James nodded eagerly as well

"Alright, if you're all sure," Mrs. Weasley said somewhat reluctantly.

As everyone else began working, Harry, Fred, and Ava made their way to George and Luna's house.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry, Fred, and Ava apparated to the front door of George and Luna's house, deciding that just flooing into the living room without warning would be rather harsh.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Fred said, clearly unable to contain his excitement. "Let's go!"

Fred excitedly knocked on the door.

"Coming!" George's voice called from inside.

After several seconds, a tired-looking George juggling two tiny screaming bundles, one pink and one green, opened the door.

"Hello," George answered tiredly, not quite processing what was going on.

"Why, hello there, dearest brother of mine!" Fred said. "How ha-"

George slammed the door in Fred's face.

"Well, that was unexpected," Fred said, looking quite taken aback.

"Let's try a slightly different approach," Harry said, gently moving Fred out of the way and knocking on the door.

This time Luna, carrying a blue bundle and a purple bundle, both also screaming, answered the door.

"Oh, hello, Harry," Luna greeted, looking slightly confused. "What's going on?"

Luna's gaze shifted to Fred and Ava.

"It's kind of a long story," Harry said. "Can we come inside?"

Luna nodded, before moving out of the way. "Of course."

"Sorry about the noise," Luna said. "George and I just gave the babies their bottles and burped them, so they're just a bit tired right now."

Harry nodded in understanding.

"Here, let me take one of them," Harry offered.

"Are you sure?" Luna asked.

"Of course," Harry said, reaching out as Luna gently handed him the little blue bundle.

"Is this Andrew or Patrick?" Harry asked, knowing that George and Luna had color-coded their quadruplets so that they could tell their two identical girls and two identical boys apart.

"This one's Andrew," Luna said, looking affectionately at the child in Harry's arms. "Do you need me to get George?"

"Yes, please," Harry said. "He needs to hear what's happened."

Luna nodded before going upstairs.

While Luna was upstairs, Harry gently rocked the small child in his arms, and Andrew had eventually calmed down and was beginning to fall asleep.

After a few minutes, Luna and George both came downstairs, carrying three of their now-sleeping infants.

"Oh, wonderful, Andrew's asleep," Luna said, after she and George placed the other three children in small cots in a corner of the living room. "Here let me take him."

After Luna laid Andrew down and George placed a charm over the children so that they wouldn't be disturbed by the adults talking, they both walked back over to where Harry, Fred, and Ava were sitting and sat down together on one of the sofas.

"Luna said you had something important to tell us," George said quietly, looking at Harry.

"Yes," Harry nodded, before once again relaying what McGonagall had told him.

George looked completely in shock, his eyes staring unblinkingly at his feet.

"George, mate," Fred said, looking concerned. "Are you alright?"

After a few seconds, George seemed to come out of his trance.

"Oh, erm, yeah, I-I'm fine," George said, putting on a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

Fred nodded, clearly unconvinced.

"Harry, Luna, Ava, can George and I have a few minutes alone, please?" Fred asked, clearly attempting to keep his voice steady.

"Of course," Luna said, standing up. "We'll just be in the kitchen." Luna kissed George on the head and reassuringly squeezed his hand, before leading Harry and Ava out of the room.

"Would you two like anything to drink?" Luna asked, once they all arrived in the kitchen.

"Just some water, please," Ava said.

"Of course," Luna said, handing Ava a glass of water.

"Thanks," said Ava. "So, how have you been? Other than tired, of course."

Luna laughed. "Oh, we've just been wonderful."

Luna and Ava continued getting to know each other, as they had only briefly met prior to Ava's death.

After about an hour, Harry went to check on Fred and George, who, despite both having tears in their eyes, said that it was alright for Harry, Ava, and Luna to come back in.

"Is everything alright?" Ava asked before sitting down next to Fred.

Fred nodded. "Yeah, we're great. Right, Forge?"

"Absolutely, Gred," confirmed George, wiping his tears. "Although, we probably look like the babies looked a little bit ago."

Everyone laughed.

"Are the quadruplets your only children?" Ava asked.

"No," George said. "We've got two girls and a boy, all adopted. And of course, there's Tessa, but we've just been looking after her for you two."

"Wow," Fred said, looking surprised. "No wonder you need such a big house. Where are your other kids?"

"There at your mum and dad's," Luna answered. "You might have seen them."

George stood up to grab a photo album from the shelf. He flipped through the album before landing on a page with a family photo, featuring George, a heavily pregnant Luna, their three adopted children, and Tessa.

"Oh, that's lovely!" Ava said. "I'm guessing this is Tessa." Ava pointed to a tall, brightly-smiling girl with brownish-red curly hair and hazel eyes.

"Yes," George confirmed. "That's Tessa. She's twenty-four, now, but you probably already knew that."

Ava and Fred nodded.

"And I remember, we did meet these three at the Burrow," Fred said, pointing out two girls with light brown hair and brown eyes and a young man with dark hair and pale gray eyes. "I think they said their names were Libby, Ellie, and Freddie."

"Yes," Luna confirmed.

"How old are they?" Fred asked eagerly.

"Ellie is eleven. She just started Hogwarts. Libby is fourteen, and Freddie is twenty…six, nearly twenty-seven," George said. "Merlin, I can't believe he's already that old."

"How old was he when you adopted him?" Ava asked.

"He was three," George said.

* * *

_**December 24, 1999 (George's POV)**_

_For the second year in a row, George had delayed his Christmas shopping until the very last minute, and while last year, he had used the excuse of it being the first Christmas without Fred as the reason he was unable to try too hard getting everyone gifts, he was determined to not have to use that excuse again. Although, try as he might, getting meaningful gifts for everyone in the ever-expanding Weasley family on the very last possible day had proven rather difficult._

_George had woken up at around eight o'clock that morning, dressed both himself and Tessa in thick, warm clothing, and made his way to Diagon Alley._

_While he had initially planned on leaving his nineteen-month-old niece at his parents' house for the day, Tessa had adorably insisted that she go with him, and George was no match for Tessa's puppy-dog eyes._

"_You sure you don't want me to carry you, Tess?" George asked, looking down at the toddling child who had to reach quite high to hold his hand. _

"_No," Tessa insisted. "Want walk."_

_George chuckled at his niece's persistence. "Alright, darling."_

_The pair continued walking through Diagon Alley, looking at the various shops._

"_Who should we buy a present for first?" George asked._

"_Uc-ul Percy," Tessa decided firmly. This had not surprised George at all, as behind himself, Percy was Tessa's favourite uncle. Possibly due to guilt over Fred's death, Percy had made sure to dote on little Tessa as often as he could, going out of his way to take her out for ice cream, have tea parties with her, and read stories to her. He had even offered to babysit her on Saturdays so that George could have some time as a normal twenty-one-year-old._

"_Alright, then," George said, feeling grateful that the bookstore Flourish and Blotts was only a few stores down. "What do you think Uncle Percy would like?"_

_Tessa babbled to herself for a bit, looking around at the different stores. "Book!" Tessa exclaimed pointing excitedly at Flourish and Blotts._

"_Do you think Uncle Percy would like a book?" George asked._

"_Book," Tessa repeated, nodding._

"_Alright, let's go in here," George said, opening the door to Flourish and Blotts while continuing to hold Tessa's hand and maneuvering himself and Tessa into the mostly empty store._

"_Good morning, Mr. Weasley," greeted the store manager. _

"_Good morning," George greeted back._

"_And hi, there, dear," the store manager said to Tessa, who was now curiously looking at the stacks of books._

"_Hello," greeted Tessa._

"_Are we looking for anything in particular?" the store manager asked._

"_Book!" Tessa said excitedly._

_Both George and the store manager chuckled. "Well, you've come to the right place!" the store manager said bending down to Tessa's level. "What kind of book?"_

_Tessa began babbling excitedly, with the only understandable phrases being "Uc-le Percy."_

"_She's looking for a Christmas present for her uncle," George explained. "He's quite the studious one. Works at the Ministry."_

"_Oh, I see," said the store manager. "Well, I think I have the perfect section for you."_

_The store manager led them to a section filled with books on magical history and law._

"_We have newer books here," the store manager explained, pointing to different stacks of books. "And older books here."_

_George nodded. "Thanks."_

"_Of course," the store manager said. "I'll just be over there if you need me."_

_George began browsing the shelves, and Tessa copied his movements._

"_Magical Misdemeanors in the Modern Law," George read the title of one of the newer books. "Sounds like something Uncle Percy'd be into. Huh, Tessa?"_

_Tessa nodded firmly. "Book. Uc-el Percy."_

_George chuckled, taking the book off the shelf. "Alright, then, we'll take this one. And why don't we look for something for Aunt Hermione here, too? She likes books."_

"_On My-mee book," Tessa repeated, nodding._

"_Alright, how about Law & Literature?" George said, picking another book off the shelf. "I think Aunt Hermione would like that. Don't you, Tess?"_

_Tessa babbled in what seemed like agreement._

"_Great!" George said, walking with Tessa over to the front of the store to pay for the books._

"_So, two down, twenty more to go," George said, once he and Tessa had exited the bookstore. "How about Aunt Ginny next?" suggested George, eyeing the quidditch supply shop Quality Quidditch Supplies. _

"_On Din-ee!" Tessa repeated excitedly._

_After nearly two hours of shopping, George, with some babbled input from Tessa, finally managed to find gifts for all of his friends and family._

"_This has been a productive day, hasn't it, Tessa?" George asked the toddler, who was now in his arms, quite tired of walking._

"_Day," Tessa repeated._

"_How about we get some hot chocolate?" George asked._

_Tessa nodded and babbled excitedly, clapping her hands and causing George to laugh._

"_You certainly are your father's child," George said, smiling._

_Just as George turned the corner to get to the Leaky Cauldron, he spotted a small child from the corner of his eye. As the child was standing quite near the entrance to the notorious Knockturn Alley, George did not feel comfortable leaving the child there alone, however, rather than approaching the child, he instead chose to stand and watch, just until an adult came along._

"_Uc-el Joj?" Tessa said after a few minutes, bringing George out of his thoughts, and allowing him to realize that child had been standing there alone for much too long._

"_One moment, darling," George said, starting to walk over to the other child, protectively clutching Tessa closer to his chest. "Let's just check on that child. He's all alone."_

_Tessa nodded gravely, seeming to show understanding beyond her years. "All lone," Tessa repeated._

_As George got closer, he noticed that the child was a little boy, perhaps about a year or so older than Tessa, with dark hair, light eyes, and an aristocratic-looking face similar to that of Draco Malfoy or Sirius Black. _

"_Hi, there, little guy," George said, bending down to the boy's level and noticing that his clothing, while expensive-looking had tears and stains on it. "Do you need help?"_

_The boy shuffled back against the wall, looking quite frightened._

"_Don't worry, we won't hurt you," George assured the boy. "We just want to help. Where're your Mum and Dad?"_

_The boy began trembling and shook his head frantically, causing George to feel quite concerned._

"_Alright," George shrunk the shopping bags in his arms so that he could fit them into his pockets, readjusted Tessa on his hip, and reached down to offer his hand to the boy. "Why don't we go and get some hot chocolate?"_

_The boy looked around before hesitantly grabbing George's hand. _

_As George entered the Leaky Cauldron, now along with two children, he was met with a familiar face._

"_Hi, George!" Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of the keys and grounds at Hogwarts, greeted with a warm smile. _

"_Hag-id! Hag-id!" Tessa squealed, reaching over to Hagrid. George placed Tessa on the floor, allowing her to run over to Hagrid to give him a hug._

"_Hello, there, sweetheart," Hagrid said, carefully picking up the small child. "Yeh've gotten big!"_

"_Big!" Tessa repeated, reaching her arms up as if to show how big she'd gotten._

"_An' who's this?" Hagrid asked, gesturing to the little boy, causing George to go into an explanation of the past few minutes. _

"_Tha's odd," Hagrid said._

_George nodded. "Definitely." Just then George had an idea. "Hagrid, you wouldn't mind watching these two for a moment. I just need to make a quick call."_

"_O' course," Hagrid said. "No problem."_

_George thanked Hagrid before running over to the fireplace to contact his brother Percy, who, due to his contacts at the Ministry, may be able to help figure out who the small boy was._

"_Perce?" George called. _

"_Hello, George," Percy said, looking concerned. "Is everything alright?"_

_George quickly explained the situation to his brother. _

_Percy remained quiet for a few seconds. "That's certainly odd. Do you mind if I come through? It might help if I see the child."_

"_Sure," George said, before moving out of the way so that Percy could come through the fireplace._

"_Where is he?" Percy asked, and George led him over to a table where Hagrid, Tessa, and the boy were all sitting drinking hot chocolate._

_Tessa's eyes lit up when she saw Percy. "Uc-el Percy!" Tessa exclaimed._

"_Hi, Tessa," Percy said, kissing the little girl on the head. "How's my favourite person?"_

_As Tessa babbled happily, Percy discreetly gestured to the boy quietly asking if he was the child George was referring to. _

_George nodded in response._

"_Hello, there," Percy said to the child, after sitting down next to him.. "Can you tell me your name?"_

_The boy covered his mouth and shook his head frantically._

"_This is going to get us nowhere," said George after Percy asked the boy several more questions about where he lived or who he lived with and being met with the same response he had received before._

"_Why don't we go take the boy over to the Ministry?" suggested Percy. "They would be able to find all of his information just by taking his fingerprint. He wouldn't need to say anything."_

_George nodded. "I think that would be best. I'll just take Tessa over to Mum and Dad's."_

"_No need," Hagrid said. "I'll watch little Tessa."_

"_Are you sure, Hagrid?" asked George. "We wouldn't want to trouble you."_

"_It's no trouble," Hagrid insisted. "Besides she looks 'bout ready for a nap."_

_George had to agree with Hagrid's statement, seeing Tessa snuggled up against Hagrid struggling to keep her eyes open._

"_Alright, Hagrid," George agreed. "Just let me know if you need anything."_

_George, Percy, and the little boy took the fairly short walk over to the Ministry of Magic headquarters, and within only a few short minutes, the boy's fingerprints had been taken, and they were waiting on the boy's information. The boy had also been assigned to a case worker who would be able to advocate for the child's safety._

"_Here we are, Mr. Weasley," said the case worker, holding a small file of papers. "We have some interesting news."_

"_Okay," George said, confused._

"_Well, it appears the child had a name up until a few days ago," the case worker explained. "But on December 20th of this year, his name has been erased from all of his documents, including his birth certificate and medical records."_

"_Are we able to learn anything from the papers?" Percy asked._

"_Not much," the case worker admitted. "But we now know that he was born January 7, 1996, making him nearly four years old. He was born in a rather upscale, private hospital in London and, up until very recently, he attended a private preschool specifically for wizarding children, so he's very likely from a rather wealthy family."_

_George nodded, taking in the information. "So, do you think his parents erased his records?"_

"_These documents can only be changed by parents or legal guardians of the child, and the only changes that can be made are to the child's name," the case worker explained._

"_Why would a parent erase their child's name?" George wondered aloud._

_The case worker appeared in deep thought for a few moments. "Well, given that you found him alone in a corner of Diagon Alley and that he gets rather upset whenever anyone asks about his parents or his name," the case worker said. "Paired with the lack of identifying information, I'd have to guess that, for whatever reason, his parents have decided to abandon him and didn't want him to be traced back to them."_

_This broke George's heart. He couldn't imagine why someone would want to abandon such a small child, especially during Christmas time._

"_Is it possible to figure out why they've abandoned him?" George asked._

"_We can only guess, but his medical records show that he's perfectly healthy. We also have his preschool documents which show that he is above average in level of intelligence," the case worker explained. "Given that he likely came from a wealthy wizarding family, the only explanation I can think of would be that he is a squib." _

_This saddened George even more. He couldn't understand why a family wouldn't want a smart, healthy, adorable little boy, just because he couldn't do magic._

"_Seeing as his parents probably don't want him back," Percy started, after a few seconds of silence. "What are the next steps for him?"_

"_We will have to start looking for a family for him," the case worker said. "Ideally, we would want to get him a permanent home, but if we can even find a foster family for him just for the holidays, that would be great."_

"_Would it be alright if my brother and I spoke outside for a moment?" Percy asked suddenly, taking George completely by surprise._

_Before George could ask why Percy wanted to speak with him alone, Percy explained. "I can tell that every bone in your body wants to give that child a home and raise him as your own."_

"_But?" George interrupted, bracing himself for Percy to offer a practical explanation as to why taking the child would be a bad idea._

"_Something's holding you back," Percy said. "Because the George I know wouldn't have hesitated to ask to keep the child."_

_While George was quite surprised that Percy hadn't tried to convince him not to take in the child, he had to admit that Percy was quite right._

"_I...I just don't know if it seems crazy for me to take care of a one-year-old _and _a three-year-old when I've only just hit my twenties," George admitted. "I mean, I would love to and I can certainly afford it, you know, with the money from the mail orders." _

_As it currently hurt too much for George to even approach the joke shop he had opened with his late twin brother, George had decided to continue keeping Weasleys Wizard Wheezes in business by keeping product catalogues outside the joke shop building and allowing people to order joke products._

_Percy sighed gently. "Whatever you want to do, I'll support you," Percy assured. "Just know, if you're worried about your age, you are the most mature twenty-one-year-old I know."_

_George turned his head to face Percy in surprise. _

"_It pains me to say it, but it's true," Percy said, chuckling. "You've done a great job raising Tessa this past year. You've been the one holding this whole family together, even though you're the one that's really lost the most."_

"_Not really, though," George said, feeling quite touched by Percy's words. "Mum and Dad lost their baby. It wouldn't be fair of me to let my grief make me forget that."_

_Percy sighed, gently placing a hand on George's shoulder. "The fact that you can say that proves that if any twenty-one-year-old can raise two toddlers that aren't their own, it's you. If you want to, that is."_

_George nodded, taking in what Percy had just said. "I...I think I'll ask if I can keep him."_

"_Alright," Percy said, standing up. "Let's go, then."_

_George and Percy reentered the Ministry of Magic's Child Welfare Office to find the case worker continuing to study the file and the young child sitting quietly in the same chair he had sat down in when they entered the office._

"_Hi," the case worker said. "Do you two have any more questions for me? If not, I'll begin looking for a home for the little one."_

"_Actually," George started. "I was wondering if I could adopt him."_

_If this surprised the case worker, she didn't show it at all. "Oh, wonderful," the case worker said, smiling. "We just have to do some background and character assessments, which can be done here and shouldn't take very long. If you pass, which I'm sure you will, you'll just have to sign some papers and give him a name, and you'll be good to go."_

"_Great," said George._

"_Just follow me, Mr. Weasley," the case worker said, standing up and leading George to an office._

_After George finished answering questions on a variety of topics including his home and work life and his family, he was told that he would be allowed to adopt the boy._

"_Here you go, Mr. Weasley," said the case worker, with an air of finality. "This is the official adoption form. Just read through it, and sign here."_

_George nodded, taking the form from the case worker. After reading through the form, George signed on the line next to the words "Legal Guardian Signature" and handed the form back to the case worker._

"_Thank you," said the case worker, taking the form from George. "And do you have a name in mind for the boy?"_

_George thought for a moment before deciding on a name. "I think I'll name him Frederick Percy Weasley." _

"_Alright," said the case worker, writing the child's new name on the file. "Well, you and little Frederick are good to go."_

_George nodded. "Thank you."_

"_How'd it go?" Percy asked as soon as George left the office._

_George explained how the past several minutes had gone._

"_Frederick Percy Weasley, huh?" Percy said, a slight smirk on his face. "Very _creative _choice."_

"_Haha," George said, playfully rolling his eyes. "Just say, 'thank you'."_

"_Thank you, George," Percy said, sincerely. "Although, you don't plan on calling him "Frederick", do you?"_

_George chuckled. "Nah, I was thinking 'Freddie'."_

_Percy nodded. "What do you think, little one?" Percy gently asked the small boy. "Do you think 'Freddie' is a good name?"_

_The boy timidly nodded. "It's okay."_

_George walked over and kneeled next to Freddie. "Well, Freddie, how would you feel about me being your dad?"_

_Freddie looked up with some confusion. "I can go home with you?"_

"_Yes," George confirmed. "And I will take care of you, and you don't have to go back to your old Mum and Dad. How does that sound?"_

"_But I can't do magic?" Freddie said in a sad, quiet voice._

"_That's alright," George said gently. "People who can't do magic are still welcome at my house."_

_Freddie seemed to consider what George had said. "Does your house have toys?"_

_George chuckled. "Oh, lots of toys!"_

"_And ice cream?" Freddie asked with a small smile._

"_We definitely have ice cream," George said, enthusiastically._

_Freddie thought for a moment. "Okay, then."_

* * *

"I can't believe someone would abandon a child just because they couldn't do magic," Ava said. "I only really knew Tessa for a day, but I can't think of any possible reason to kick her out of my life, especially near Christmas."

"It's pretty awful," George agreed. "But it kind of makes sense when you look at Draco's family and Sirius' family. They seem quite quick to kick people out."

Ava nodded. "That is true."

"How does he get along with the others?" Fred asked. "They're all witches and wizards, I assume."

George nodded. "He actually gets along quite well with them. He went to primary school with his cousins instead of to a muggle school, so he would be able to speak openly and honestly with his friends. When he was eleven, I gave him the option of going to Hogwarts or to a muggle school, and he chose Hogwarts."

"Wait," Fred said, looking confused. "Squibs can't go to Hogwarts."

"They _couldn't_ go to Hogwarts," George corrected. "McGonagall changed it so that squibs could have the option of remaining in the wizarding world."

"What do they do in the classes that require magical ability?" Ava asked. "Surely, there aren't enough squibs for them to have their own classes."

"There aren't," George said. "The few squibs that there are usually stay with their classmates for the more theoretical things, but for the magical stuff, they meet with an adult squib that helps advise them on their career and life options. Sometimes that includes studying some muggle subjects if they're thinking about going to a muggle university."

"That's nice," said Fred. "What does Freddie do now?"

"Well, after graduating Hogwarts, he went to a muggle university and studied history," George explained. "And after those five years he spent in the muggle world, he decided to teach muggle studies at Hogwarts. He also advises the Ministry on squib-related issues."

Fred sat oddly still for a moment. "So, a child _you_ raised and named after _me_, decided to become a professor and help out the Ministry?"

George chuckled. "Well, the children that _Percy _raised pulled pranks their entire time at Hogwarts and decided to work as product inventors at the shop, so…"

"Fair enough," said Fred. "Percy's children are the strawberry-blonde twins, right? Susan and Nancy?"

"Yes," confirmed Luna. "Susan and Nancy are Percy's children."

Ava looked confused. "They seemed so sweet, though."

George, Luna, and Harry shared a knowing glance.

"Oh, I'm sure they did," said George.

* * *

_**September 16, 2007**_

_George was enjoying a very calm Monday at his joke shop. A few customers had shown up, but for the most part the store was empty, allowing George to work on some product ideas he was having. Typically on slower days, George would bring Freddie and Tessa with him to the shop, however, Freddie had just started his first year at Hogwarts and Tessa was spending the day with Angelina Johnson, a close friend of both Fred and George._

_Just as George had sat down to begin writing out plans for some updates to the Skiving Snackboxes, he suddenly heard a loud crack, which caused him to jump up._

_"Hello?" George called, holding his wand up, in case someone had tried to break in. "Who is it?"_

_As George moved closer towards where the crack had come from, he began hearing giggling. This allowed him to calm down slightly, as it was likely a child who had entered the store. Although, he still couldn't understand why he had heard a cracking noise, he felt significantly less concerned. _

_When George turned the corner, he was surprised to see Percy's three-year-old twin daughters sitting among the Pygmy Puffs, giggling happily. _

_"Hi, Uncle George!" said one of the twins, George guessed Susan as she was the more dominant twin. _

_"Why, hello, there," George said, carefully opening the cage so that he could get the three-year-olds out without taking out any Pygmy Puffs. "How did you two end up here?"_

_"Magic!" Susan and Nancy said simultaneously, wearing identical smirks._

_George laughed. "Let's go call your dad before he freaks out, yeah?"_

_"Can we play with the Pygmy Puffs first, please, Uncle George?" Susan asked, batting her eyelashes sweetly. _

_"Only for a little while, please," Nancy added, also showing her best puppy-dog eyes._

_"Your dad certainly has his hands full with you two," George said under his breath. "Why don't I give each of you one Pygmy Puff, and then you can take them home with you?"_

_"Okay, Uncle George," the twins agreed happily. _

_"Alright, then," said George, feeling grateful that the twins had quickly accepted his offer. _

_George let each girl pick out a Pygmy Puff before picking them up, and going upstairs to floo Percy._

_"George!" George heard Percy's frantic voice call from the fireplace. "I can't find the girls anywhere. I heard a cracking sound, but it couldn't have been them because their only three so they shouldn't be able to apparate, right? Please, George, are you there?! I don't know if someone might've taken them! I need your help!"_

_"Hey, there, Perce," George said, holding one of the twins in each of his arms. "Looking for these two?"_

_Percy quickly jumped through the fireplace. "Oh, Merlin," Percy sighed, the color quickly flooding back into his face. "I was worried sick. Did you take them?"_

_"Nope," George said, before revealing how he had found the twins. _

_Percy's face once again drained of all its color. "So, they can apparate now?!"_

_"Looks like it," George said._

_Percy sat down, placing his head in his hands. "Is this my comeuppance for being a prat all those years? Because this seems like a rather harsh punishment."_

_George chuckled. "Probably."_

* * *

"Apparating?!" Fred exclaimed, looking quite impressed. "At three?!"

"Yes," George confirmed.

"Susan and Nancy are a terrible combination of Hermione-level intelligence and Fred-and-George-level mischief," Harry said.

"They would've made wonderful Ravenclaws," added Luna. "Professor McGonagall had them take their O.W.L.S in their third year, and they received the highest O.W.L. scores ever recorded."

"Wow," Ava said, looking shocked. "That's actually quite scary."

Just then the front door was heard opening, and it didn't take long for everyone to know who it was.

"Uncle George! Aunt Luna!" Tessa's voice shouted from the front door. "I'm hooooome!"

Harry watched as all the color drained from George's face. George practically jumped up and ran to the front door likely to warn Tessa about what had happened.

"Hi, Uncle Geor-," Harry heard Tessa say. "Whoa, you look so young! Not that you didn't look great before, but you actually look even younger than me. Come to think of it, Coach Johnson looked really young today, too."

As Harry could no longer hear Tessa's bubbly, rambling voice, he had to assume that George had managed to cut her off so that he could explain.

After a few minutes, George reentered the living room without Tessa.

"Where's Tessa?" Ava asked, sounding disappointed.

"She said she had to go get something, but she didn't say what," George said. "She went upstairs to her room."

Fred and Ava nodded in understanding.

"Where was she?" Fred asked. "I didn't see her at Mum and Dad's."

"She's a chaser for the Chudley Cannons," George explained. "They had some press interviews to do."

"The Chudley Cannons?!" Fred exclaimed, sounding disgusted. "Unless I'm remembering wrong, aren't they terrible? Like worse than a team full of Percys terrible?"

"Oh, they were," agreed Harry, despite the fact that his best friend had been obsessed with the team even through their losing streak. "But with Angelina's coaching and Tessa's talent, they've really moved up the ranks."

"They're one of the best in the league now," George added.

With everyone excitedly discussing quidditch teams and filling Fred and Ava in on recent quidditch developments, no one heard Tessa coming downstairs.

The discussion was broken by someone clearing their throat.

"Hi, everyone," Tessa said, happily, plopping down in between her parents, as though she had known them her whole life. "Sorry for making you all wait, but I had to collect some things."

Tessa gestured to the photo album she had in her lap.

"Thought it might be good to fill you in on some things."

Ava looked quite surprised. "You're not shocked to see us?"

Tessa chuckled. "Honestly, Mum, being part of the Weasley family means that this isn't even close to the top of my list of the most shocking things I've ever witnessed."

Ava and Fred laughed, with tear-filled eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

"Oh, this is lovely," Ava sighed, looking at a picture of a smiling George and a seven-month-old Tessa who seemed completely infatuated with George's tie.

George looked over at the picture. "Oh, yeah, that was our first Christmas card," George explained. "I think Lee actually took that picture."

Lee Jordan was Fred and George's best friend since their first year of Hogwarts, and, because of this, he was close to Tessa as well.

"You should see the pictures of her and your dad at the Christmas party that same year," Harry suggested, thinking back on how excited little Tessa had been to see Mr. Weasley dressed up as Father Christmas.

At Harry's suggestion, George immediately began looking through the red and green album that held all of George's Christmas card photos since 1998 and some pictures from the annual Weasley family Christmas parties.

"Here we are," George said, handing the album, which was flipped to the pages that showed pictures from the 1998 Christmas party, over to Fred and Ava.

"That's adorable!" Fred practically squealed, looking at a picture of little Tessa laughing hysterically at Mr. Weasley's fake beard.

* * *

_**December 25, 1998**_

_Although the annual Weasley family Christmas party had started over half-an-hour ago, George had chosen to wait until Tessa had woken up from her short afternoon nap before joining his family and friends. After dressing Tessa in the new red Christmas dress that his mother had picked out for her and getting himself dressed nicely, George finally decided to walk downstairs._

"_Hi, everyone," George greeted, walking down the stairs holding Tessa in his arms, as she was still too young to walk, although she had begun standing herself up against surfaces that she could reach._

"_Oh, hello, Georgie," his mother greeted. "I was about to send Percy to come get you."_

_His mother moved closer to him. "I was quite worried. Are you feeling alright?"_

_George hesitated slightly, knowing that despite her happy face, his mother was likely feeling similar to how he was. He felt happy that it was Christmas and that there was no longer a war going on, and while it was Tessa's first Christmas, it was also the first Christmas without Fred._

"_I'm alright, Mum," George said. "It's just… odd, you know, without him here."_

_His mother nodded sympathetically. "I know, dear. If you need a moment to yourself just let me know, and I'll watch Tessa."_

"_Thanks, Mum."_

_George quickly placed Tessa down in the living room next to Draco's son, Scorpius, who was just over two months older than her. Unsurprisingly, the babies babbled excitedly upon seeing each other, as they had become fast friends. Harry's godson, Teddy, was also sitting in the living room playing with his favourite wolf cuddly toy that Ron had bought him on his birthday a few months earlier._

"_I don't mind watching the pair of them, if you want a break," Draco offered._

"_Thanks, mate," George said, standing up to properly greet his other family and friends._

_George spent several minutes walking around and conversing with friends and family before he noticed that someone else seemed to be missing. _

"_Mum, have you seen Dad?" George asked his mother, surprised that his father, who loved Christmas more than any other holiday, hadn't shown up yet._

"_He'll be here soon, dear," his mother said, not revealing something she clearly knew. "Don't you worry."_

_After a few short minutes the mystery was solved, as George's father appeared out of the fireplace, dressed head-to-toe as Father Christmas._

"_Merry Christmas!" his father called, causing varying reactions from the three small children. _

_Two-year-old Teddy offered a bright smile and said, "Mewwy Chwitsmits!", handing his wolf cuddly toy to Harry before walking over and giving "Father Christmas" a hug._

_Scorpius, however, burst into tears, frantically looking over to Draco, who quickly scooped him up into his arms attempting to comfort the small child. Upon seeing Scorpius' reaction, George quickly looked at Tessa, worried that she would also start crying. Much to George's, and everyone else's it seemed, surprise, Tessa burst into a fit of laughter, so much so that she lost her balance and toppled over, continuing to laugh despite now laying down._

"_Do I look funny Miss Tessa?" George's father asked, picking the giggling little girl up. _

_After making eye contact with her grandfather, Tessa laughed even harder, now pointing at his fake beard._

"_She is certainly Fred's daughter," George's mother said quietly to George._

"_That's for certain," George said with a smile._

* * *

After a several more minutes of looking at photos, Harry looked at his watch.

"It's nearly lunchtime," Harry pointed out. "I think your parents are probably waiting for us."

"And by 'parents', you mean Mum," Fred added, causing everyone to laugh.

"Are you two and the babies coming along as well?" Ava asked George and Luna.

"I think we could," Luna said.

George nodded. "Yeah, I think so, too. Mum and Dad probably want to see the little ones."

Everyone immediately began standing up.

"Tessa, can you just floo over to the Burrow and tell Gran that we're bringing the babies?" George asked Tessa. "I think it would be good to give her a warning."

Tessa nodded. "Of course, Uncle George. Do you need me to come back here or can I just stay over there?"

"You can stay there," George answered. "Just warn gran."

"Alright," Tessa said, walking over to the fireplace. "See you later."

Within seconds, Tessa was off to the Burrow.

"How do you guys usually visit Mum and Dad?" Fred asked. "You can't really floo or apparate or use a portkey with babies, can you?"

"No," George said. "Luna and I bought a car before the babies were born so that we wouldn't have the travel issue."

"We haven't gone anywhere with them, yet, though," Luna added. "It's usually just been people visiting us."

"Aww, so this will be the babies' first time at the Burrow," Fred said, smiling.

"Yes, I reckon Mum'll be pretty excited," George said, before turning to Luna. "I'll go upstairs and grab warm clothes and blankets."

"And nappies and wipes, please," Luna called as George ran upstairs. "I think they'll need a change right about now."

After only a few minutes, George walked back downstairs holding four white baby vest tops, four baby grows in pink, purple, blue, and green, four baby blankets and sets of mittens also in the four different colours, the hooded onesies and tiny hats Mrs. Weasley had knitted each of the babies, a small package of newborn baby nappies, a package of baby wipes, among numerous other baby essentials and a large empty baby bag.

"Okay, I figured, because we'll be out quite late, we might as well bathe them at the Burrow," George said, placing everything down onto the couch.

Luna nodded in agreement.

"We can pack the rest in the bag for bath time," Luna said, after picking out the onesies, hats, wipes, and four nappies from the pile of baby items.

George waved his wand and the pile was neatly packed into the baby bag.

"Why don't you two go and get yourselves ready to go?" Ava suggested. "We'll get the little ones ready."

"Are you sure?" George asked, looking slightly concerned.

"Of course," said Fred. "You two need a bit of a break. And probably a shower, I'm not sure if everyone will appreciate your dirty nappy smell."

"Haha," George said sarcastically, but moved to go upstairs nonetheless.

"Just let us know if you need anything," Luna said, walking upstairs as well.

"Let's get these babies changed," Fred said, walking over to the babies, who now seemed to be stirring.

"Who is who here?" Ava asked. "They all look the same."

Harry looked at the hats that Mrs. Weasley had knitted, which luckily were both colour-coded and embroidered with each babies' initial.

"Pink is Olivia, blue is Andrew, purple is Clara, and green is Patrick," Harry explained.

"I know there are supposed to be two boys and two girls, but they all have the exact same face and they're wearing clothes, so as far as I'm concerned, there are four identical babies here," said Fred, looking at all of the babies. "If George and I were this identical, I really should apologize to Mum for all of those comments about not being able to tell us apart."

"It doesn't help that you both also insist on dressing the same," Ava commented.

"Mrs. Weasley actually gave us all some twin tips while Luna was pregnant," Harry said. "She told us that magical twins are actually completely physically identical. You can only really tell them apart once their personalities start kicking in."

"That actually makes a lot of sense," said Ava. "George is usually more quiet and less brash. That's mainly the way I tell them apart."

Fred scoffed. "I can be quiet."

"Really?" Ava raised one of her eyebrows.

Fred matched Ava's expression before turning to change Patrick's nappy and dress him in warm clothes, without saying a word.

Fred wasn't even able to manage a minute before speaking again.

"Fuck!" Fred screamed.

"You can't even stay quiet for one minute," Ava said, chuckling.

"It's _not _my fault," Fred said, angrily. "He peed on me!"

Harry and Ava, who were changing Olivia and Andrew, respectively, burst into laughter.

"It's not funny!" Fred said, looking quite red, waving his wand to clean himself of baby pee.

After an eventful few minutes, the babies were all warmly dressed, and George and Luna walked downstairs, now showered and dressed in something other than pajamas for the first time in nearly a week.

"Great, they're all ready to go," Luna said.

"How were they?" George asked.

"Your son peed on me," Fred said, sounding annoyed.

"Oh no," George sighed, clearly trying his best to hold back his laughter. "Which one?"

"The green one," Fred said.

"Patrick does tend to do that sometimes," Luna remarked simply.

After a short drive, everyone finally arrived at the Burrow, and Harry, being the only one without a baby in his arms, knocked on the door.

"Hello, dears," Mrs. Weasley said, excitedly ushering everyone inside and into the living room. "Let's get you all out of the cold."

Mrs. Weasley gently took Andrew from Luna's arms. "Why don't you sit down, dear? You certainly deserve a bit of a break. You, too, George, darling. You look exhausted."

Mrs. Weasley handed Andrew to Mr. Weasley before taking Clara from George.

"Thanks, Mum," George said, sitting down next to Luna.

"Hi, there, Harry," Harry heard an eerily familiar voice say from behind him. He jumped around to see Sirius Black, his godfather, who was killed near the end of Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts.

Losing Sirius had been particularly difficult for Harry as Sirius had become somewhat of a father-figure to him. While Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had truly taken him in as their own, Harry always felt guilty coming to them with his problems as they had been rather poor, prior to the end of the war, and had several other children to worry about. Sirius had been someone who Harry could turn to without feeling guilty, who had known and loved him even before he was born.

"Sirius," Harry sighed, practically running over to Sirius and engulfing him in a hug.

"Hey, pup," Sirius said, holding Harry tightly. "I see you've missed me."

Harry nodded against Sirius' chest, not bothering to hold back his tears.

"It's alright," Sirius whispered gently to Harry, rocking him slightly. "I'm here now. I've got you."

After what felt like hours, Harry finally pulled away.

"Sorry about that," Harry chuckled, tears still in his eyes. "I just missed you."

"No problem," Sirius assured, wiping his own tears on his sleeve. "You have quite a bit to fill me in on, I would hope."

"Well, I certainly haven't been sitting around moping," Harry chuckled. "I know you would not have wanted that."

Sirius nodded before pulling Harry in for another hug. "I am so proud of you."

"You're going to make me cry again," Harry chuckled.

Sirius laughed his usual bark-like laugh. "Well, isn't it the godfather's job to embarrass his godson in front of his own children?"

"You'll need to remind me about that when Teddy starts having kids," Harry said. "I trust you know who Teddy is."

"Oh, yes," Sirius said. "Molly's filled me in on everything and everyone. Haven't actually met Teddy yet, though, but Ginny told me he and his girlfriend are at St. Mungo's watching Jamie. I'm sorry about Jamie, by the way. Terrible what happened."

While Harry wasn't surprised that Teddy hadn't made an appearance at the Burrow yet, he was somewhat surprised that Sirius already knew about Jamie.

Harry nodded sadly, feeling quite guilty that for a brief few minutes he had forgotten that his son was unconscious in the hospital.

James cleared his throat, breaking Harry out of his thoughts. "Not to interrupt this reunion, but mini-Prongs hasn't even greeted his own parents yet."

"Sorry," Harry said, having almost forgotten that his parents were also in the room. "Hi, again, Mum and Dad."

"Hi, love," Lily said kindly. "Don't worry, your dad's just being an arse, again."

"Hey," James said, defensively. "I know Sirius has always been his favourite, but I don't like feeling unloved."

Everyone laughed while James pouted.

"Will everyone be here for the dinner party?" Lily asked, looking concerned. "I would hate for Jamie to be left all alone."

"Teddy and Florence are setting up a two-way mirror in Jamie's hospital room," Bill explained. "It'll be connected to that one." Bill pointed to a large mirror hanging on a wall of the living room.

"This way we'll be able to make sure he's alright," Valerie added. "And he'll be able to hear us, which he seems to like."

"That's good," James said, nodding.

"Who's Florence?" Tonks asked excitedly. "Is that Teddy's girlfriend?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed. "They've been together since they were nineteen."

"That's quite a while," Remus said, looking quite happy to hear that his son had a steady girlfriend. "Are they thinking about getting married?"

"They're certainly thinking about it," Harry said, trying his best not to smile too wide.

* * *

_**July 28, 2022 (Harry's POV)**_

_As had become a tradition in the Potter household since Harry had began looking after Teddy full time, three days before Harry's birthday, Harry and Teddy were once again having lunch together at their favourite café in Diagon Alley._

"_So, are you ready for 42, old man?" Teddy asked._

_Harry laughed. "Damn, am I really that old?"_

"_Yep," Teddy said, popping a chip into his mouth. "Not to put a damper on things, but you'll be twice as old as your parents ever were."_

_Harry nodded somewhat sadly. It had hurt quite a bit when Harry had turned twenty-two and had officially lived more years than his parents had, but after over two decades, he had learned that that was simply the way life was sometimes and that it was important for him to live all of his extra years, not only for himself but also for his parents, Sirius, and everyone else who wasn't as lucky as he was._

"_You're older than your mum was now, too, aren't you?" Harry asked, trying to remember how old Tonks had been._

_Teddy nodded. "Just about," Teddy said. "But, as much as I would've loved to have known them, if they were still alive, I wouldn't have gotten to live with you and Aunt Val or have a bunch of Weasley cousins and Jamie and Al wouldn't be my brothers and Kate wouldn't be my sister. I have quite a lot to be thankful for, even if living parents aren't one of those things."_

_Harry nodded proudly. "Somehow, I've managed to raise quite the wise young man."_

_Teddy's hair turned slightly pink. "Aww, thanks, Dad," Teddy said sarcastically, however, Harry could tell that his words meant a lot to Teddy._

_Once they had both finished and, despite Harry's protests, Teddy paid for the meal, Harry and Teddy went for a walk through Diagon Alley._

_While walking, talking, and window-shopping, Harry noticed Teddy grow quiet and slow his pace slightly._

"_What's up, Ted?" Harry asked gazing over at Teddy, who took a few seconds to realize that Harry was speaking to him._

"_Oh, erm, nothing, it's... it's nothing," Teddy said, quickly, whipping his head away from the direction he had been looking in._

_Harry turned to see what Teddy may have been looking at and noticed that they had just passed a jewelry shop._

_Harry grabbed his godson's arm, as he seemed to be attempting to run as far away from the store as possible._

"_Teddy?" Harry asked, with a slight smirk. "Were you looking at something in here?"_

"_Erm, no," Teddy said nervously, avoiding Harry's gaze. "Well, n-not really."_

_Harry sighed. "Teddy, I've known you since you were born and raised you since you were two. I know when something's bothering you."_

_Teddy sighed and bit his lip, his hair subconsciously changing from Teddy's preferred teal blue to it's natural mousy brown, a tell-tale sign that Teddy was about to reveal something that he had been trying to hide. _

"_I-I think I, well,... no, no, I _know _I love Flo," Teddy started. _

"_You've mentioned this," Harry said, after Teddy had remained silent for several seconds._

"_No," Teddy sighed. "I mean I-I think I really _really _love her." Teddy looked at Harry, as though attempting to place his thoughts into Harry's mind so that he wouldn't have to say them out loud._

"_Okay," Harry said, attempting to urge Teddy to just say what he meant. Harry smiled to himself, thinking that, despite how much Teddy leaned much more towards Tonks in terms of outward personality, his nervous energy when something bothered him was entirely Remus'._

_Teddy sighed, covering his face with his hands. "I can't even pass a bloody jewelry shop any more," Teddy said, sounding frustrated. "Yesterday, she asked me why I keep rubbing her fingers all of a sudden. She said I'd been doing it all week, and it's always been her left hand. And I usually always hold her right hand. Not that _I _pay much attention, of course, but Flo notices these things, you know."_

_Harry decided it was time to quickly cut off Teddy's rambling. "So, what you're trying to say is..." he started, now knowing quite well what was on Teddy's mind, but wanting Teddy to say it for himself._

_Teddy paused for a moment before smiling slightly. "I think I want to marry her, Uncle Harry," Teddy finally revealed. "I mean, it's been a long time coming, but lately I just can't stop thinking about it."_

_Harry smiled knowingly. "And is there a specific ring you want to ask her with, Teddy?"_

_Teddy's hair once again turned slightly pink. "Yes, and it's in that store. It's the small silver one in the middle, the one with the diamond and the flower detailing on the band. I saw it last week when Flo and I went out for dinner."_

"_I figured with the way you were staring, Harry said smirking._

_Teddy groaned. "Was it that obvious?"_

_Harry laughed. "You're certainly lucky there aren't that many people here. And if Florence wasn't blind I'm sure she'd have already figured it out."_

_Teddy rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a closer look at it."_

_Harry nodded, patting Teddy on the back as he stood up. "Let's go, then."_

* * *

"Oh, they are very much in love," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling, showing Remus and Tonks pictures of the happy couple. "This was them on Christmas this year." Mrs. Weasley pointed to a picture of Teddy and Florence, both in Weasley Christmas sweaters, smiling brightly while standing under some mistletoe.

"Oh, she is just gorgeous!" Tonks exclaimed. "Not that Teddy isn't quite handsome himself, but Florence is absolutely stunning."

"Has she got something in her eye, though?" Remus asked, looking closer at the photo, likely noticing that Florence's eyes wandered a bit.

"Oh, no, she's actually blind," Mr. Weasley explained. "I think she said she lost her eyesight in an accident or something when she was younger."

Those who hadn't already known this gasped.

"Poor thing," Remus said, sympathetically.

"Would it be difficult for her to do magic then?" James asked. "I can't imagine having to do something like potions or transfiguration without seeing."

"She's quite good at magic from what I've seen," Harry said. "But you'd have to ask her how she does it."

James nodded. "True. I'm sure after a while you'd figure out a way around."

After several minutes, George and Luna's babies were fed and fast asleep, and everyone was now in the dining room happily eating lunch and conversing amongst each other.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Mrs. Weasley stood up and looked around the room.

"I wonder who that could be," Mrs. Weasley said, appearing rather confused, as everyone seemed to be accounted for. She quickly left the room to answer the door.

"Hello," Harry heard Mrs. Weasley greet as she opened the door.

"Hello, Molly," a familiar soft but deep female voice answered. "Minerva insisted that I visit."

"Oh, of course, of course," Mrs. Weasley said, likely ushering the woman, whom Harry knew from her voice to be Severus Snape, inside. "We're just having lunch right now. You're completely welcome to sit down and have a bite."

Harry was unsurprised at how welcoming Mrs. Weasley was to Severus Snape, despite many people believing that she was a Death Eater during the last few years of the war.

After the Battle of Hogwarts and the defeat of Voldemort, Harry made sure to inform everyone of Snape's true allegiance.

"Hi, everyone, Severus is here," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling as she ushered Severus Snape into the dining room.


	7. Chapter 7

While the shocked looks on those who had died before Harry had cleared Snape's name and the respectful greetings from those who had been informed of Snape's true allegiance had been expected, Harry was certainly taken aback by Sirius' reaction.

"Sev!," Sirius exclaimed, quickly standing up. Harry had even noticed a trace of a smile on his face, which quickly faded when Sirius seemed to realize that he was surrounded by people. "Erm, I-I mean, hello, erm, Se-Snape."

"Black," Snape answered with a nod, clearly schooling her features into a neutral face.

"What are _you _doing here, Snivellus?" James asked harshly, standing up from his seat.

Just as Lily, Mrs. Weasley, and Harry all stood up to reprimand James, Sirius furiously lunged at James.

"Do not call her that!"

Much like everyone else in the room, James looked completely taken aback at Sirius' outburst. "Why?"

"Yes, Black, _why_ shouldn't he call me that?" Snape asked pointedly, through gritted teeth. "Especially considering that you and I are _not _friends."

Sirius, who seemed to have even shocked himself, seemed to be trying to leave the room. "Erm, well, erm…," Sirius stammered awkwardly. "Well, it's… erm… it's a bit childish, isn't it? I-I mean why can't we all just get along."

"That seems like a great idea," Mr. Weasley said quickly, likely noticing the shocked and almost outraged look on James' face. "Let's all just have a seat."

"Actually, Black, I'd like a quick word with you," Snape said quickly, glaring at Sirius, who nodded.

Erm...alright, Snape," Sirius said, seemingly eager to leave the room.

"Please, _please_, tell me we still have the extendable ears," Fred said practically jumping up and down, just as Sirius and Snape left the room.

"We'll do you one better," Susan said, tapping her wand on a small glass bead that Harry knew to be George's Fly-On-The-Wall invention that he created several years ago as a way for Percy and Audrey to watch their mischievous twins once they had learned how to dismantle their baby monitor at the age of two.

The bead grew into a small screen, which showed the living room, where Snape and Sirius were now standing.

"What is this?" James asked excitedly, seeming to have gotten over the shock of having his best friend defend his enemy.

"Well," George began, smirking. "You're about to find out."

Everyone in the dining room, except for the younger children who had quickly grown bored of the current topic of discussion, huddled around the screen.

"How does it work?" Fred asked in a hushed-whisper.

"The other bead is stuck on the wall next to the babies," George explained quickly, after which Fred nodded in understanding. "I put it up there earlier so that we could keep an eye on them."

Harry felt somewhat uneasy about watching a private conversation between his godfather and his former Potions professor; however, remembering how quickly those two could be at each other's throats, Harry felt that watching them was probably the safer option.

"Sorry, Sev," Sirius groaned. "I was just so excited to see you that I forgot where I was. I'm sorry."

Much to Harry's, and seemingly everyone else's, surprise Snape's scowl slowly shifted into a small smile.

"It's alright, Black," Snape sighed.

At that Sirius pulled Snape into a hug that seemed much more intimate than one between friends.

Snape quickly pulled away.

"Someone could see us, Black!" Snape whispered.

"Little too late for that," Fred whispered, while James just looked completely shocked at what he had just seen.

Mrs. Weasley and Fleur both quickly shushed Fred.

"Sorry," Sirius said. "I've just missed you."

Snape sighed. "I've missed you, too," she admitted. "But at least I have enough self control not to act like a complete buffoon."

"Haha," Sirius said, rolling his eyes playfully before plopping down onto the couch.

"Do you think they know?" Sirius asked quietly, seeming a bit worried.

"They probably suspect something's going on," Snape said, looking just as worried as Sirius.

"I really am sorry, Sev," Sirius apologized sincerely. "I really...I guess I just wasn't expecting to see you so soon. And I-"

"It's alright, Sirius," Snape said, gently grasping Sirius' hand. "Besides, you have a lot more to lose than I do. Everyone in there probably already hates me."

Sirius scoffed. "Honestly, Harry named one of his children after you," Sirius said. "And if I know Harry as well as I think I do, he's probably given everyone a pretty damn good explanation as to why."

Harry smiled to himself, feeling happy that his godfather knew that he wouldn't allow Snape's reputation to remain tarnished after learning the truth.

Snape chuckled seemingly in spite of herself.

"I really think we should tell them," Sirius said, after several seconds of silence, pulling Severus in for another hug.

Snape sighed before pulling away. "You might not want to after I tell you this."

"Okay," Sirius said, sounding both concerned and quite sad. "What is it?"

For the first time Harry could remember, Snape looked terrified.

"After our last time together," Snape began. "I fell pregnant."

Sirius' eyes went wide.

"And you didn't think of telling me?" Sirius said, seeming both shocked and a bit hurt. "The last time we were together was Easter, and I died at the end of June."

"I didn't realize I was pregnant until after you died," Snape admitted. "I was quite stressed at the time, and I hadn't really been paying attention."

Sirius sat quietly with his head in his hands.

"I think we should stop," Lily said.

Everyone else nodded in agreement, seemingly too shocked to speak, and George quickly turned the screen back into a small bead.

"Well, that was…," Harry started.

"Unexpected?" "Shocking?" "Disturbing?" Fred, Tonks, and James all said simultaneously.

"All of the above," Ginny agreed, nodding.

"I wonder who their child is," Mrs. Weasley said. "She should be just a bit younger than Teddy, if Severus fell pregnant in April of that year."

Harry now felt rather uncomfortable as he knew the identity of Sirius and Snape's child.

"I know that face," Ron said, sounding suspicious. "What do you know?"

While Harry knew that Ron knew him better than anyone else in that room, he still felt rather taken aback at Ron calling him out.

"I...erm...what?" Harry stammered. "W-what do you mean?"

"Who is it?" Hermione asked blankly.

Harry sighed, before sitting down. "It's Florence."

Everyone gasped.

"Florence," Ginny repeated. "As in Florence Prince. As in Teddy's girlfriend."

"That's her," Harry said.

"Shit," Ron said, before sitting down himself.

"Does she know?" Hermione asked, sounding concerned.

Harry nodded. "She asked me if I could help find out who her parents were a few years ago," Harry explained. "So I took her to the Registration Office, and they figured it out using her fingerprints."

"And you didn't say anything?!" Ron exclaimed.

"It wasn't my place to say," Harry explained. "Besides, I always thought that it was more of a one-time, drunken fling. I certainly didn't think they were together."

Everyone sat around quietly taking in the news.

"Come to think of it, I'm surprised we didn't figure it out sooner," George admitted.

"She does look quite a bit like Sirius," Mrs. Weasley, nodded in agreement.

"She kind of sounds like Snape, too," Ginny added.

Even Harry had to agree. Florence was almost an exact copy of her father, but with her mother's soft but stern drawl.

After a few minutes, Sirius and Snape finally reentered.

"We have some...erm...news…" Sirius started awkwardly.

* * *

_**July 5, 1995 (Sirius' POV)**_

"_No!" both Sirius and Snape exclaimed angrily._

"_I have made my decision," Dumbledore said with finality. "You are both adults. It is time to let these childish squabbles go."_

_With that, Dumbledore apparated away._

_Sirius couldn't even begin to comprehend why Dumbledore was so certain that leaving him and Snape alone together in Number 12 Grimmauld Place for an entire week wouldn't end in total disaster._

"_We should get to cleaning," Snape snapped, pulling Sirius out of his thoughts. "This place is disgusting."_

_Sirius scoffed. "It'd be disgusting even if it was spotless."_

_Snape rolled her eyes and began tidying up the living room._

_After three days of cleaning and bickering, which were occasionally interrupted by Sirius' mother's portrait shrieking, the living room, kitchen, dining room, and two bedrooms were all cleaned._

_Just as Sirius sat down on a chair opposite Snape, Sirius' mother's portrait began screaming again._

_Sirius groaned before running upstairs to close the curtain he and Snape had placed over her portrait._

"_Your mother was such a pleasant woman," Snape said sarcastically. "I can't imagine why you left home."_

_Sirius chuckled in spite of himself, before quickly cutting himself off remembering who was in the room with him. _

"_Would you believe that I didn't run away," Sirius admitted to Snape, not fully understanding why. "My mother actually threw me out at sixteen on Christmas Eve."_

_To Sirius' surprise, Snape actually looked quite concerned._

"_Wasn't there a blizzard going through London that Christmas Eve?" Snape asked._

"_Yeah," Sirius nodded. "James' parents practically had to defrost me when I finally made my way over there."_

_Snape remained quiet for a few moments._

"_Quite different from your parents, huh?" Sirius said, feeling rather uncomfortable with the lack of angry tension in the air. "I bet they spoiled you."_

_Snape scoffed. "My parents never paid me much attention."_

"_Oh," Sirius responded._

_While Sirius wanted to feel shocked at this information, it actually made a lot of sense when Sirius thought about it. At Hogwarts, Snape had never went home for Christmas or Easter holidays, her robes and books were always clearly secondhand, and, despite having multiple summer jobs, she rarely had money to buy sweets on Hogsmeade weekends. In fact, Sirius remembered that the Christmas and birthday gifts Snape gave to Lily were always handmade._

"_My parents always paid me too much attention," Sirius admitted quietly._

"_Well, that's obvious," Snape scoffed._

"_Not good attention," Sirius snapped. "Well, I mean, I was pretty spoiled before I went to Hogwarts. But after getting into Gryffindor, everything I did was a problem."_

"_They used the Cruciatus on you, didn't they?" Snape said suddenly._

_Sirius turned to Snape suspiciously. "Just my mother," Sirius said slowly. "Why?"_

"_After seeing the Cruciatus curse used so many times, it's pretty easy to see the signs," Snape admitted. "You flinch every time someone raises their wand in front of you. It was worse when we were at Hogwarts, but you still do it now. You also sit and stand rather stiffly. A sign that she must have directed it to your back quite often."_

_Sirius nodded. "My mother would always use it whenever I slouched. I suppose it's a force of habit."_

"_Sorry," Snape said, looking steadfastly at her feet, as though she didn't want to hear the word coming out of her mouth._

"_At least I had friends at school. I can't imagine going through all of that without them," Sirius sighed._

_Just then Sirius realized something important. "It should really be me apologizing to you," Sirius said. "Your parents weren't great either, and we stole your only friend and took away your opportunity to make any more."_

"_I'm the reason Lily stopped being my friend," Snape said. "And my parents never physically hurt me."_

"_But they did neglect you," Sirius pointed out. "At least my parents bought all of my school supplies and fed me."_

"_How do you know my parents didn't feed me or buy my school supplies?" Snape asked defensively._

"_First of all, the school supply thing is obvious. You always had the cheapest books and robes, and you never had enough money for treats," Sirius said, as straightforwardly as possible. "And you always looked emaciated in September, but much healthier by the time June came along, meaning that you weren't intentionally skipping meals."_

_Snape scowled but didn't say anything._

"_Lily also told us that she was the one that taught you about shampoo," Sirius said. "James and I found it funny at the time, but now, I realize that that must have meant that your parents never taught you."_

_Sirius held back a cruel comment about Snape's greasy hair, noting that this was probably not the time or place._

"_Why did your mother kick you out?" Snape asked after a few moments, likely wanting to shift the subject to Sirius' past and away from her own._

"_I refused to join with Voldemort," Sirius admitted. "And I may have told her that I was planning to fight against him."_

_Snape nodded in understanding. _

"_Why didn't your parents take care of you?" Sirius asked, feeling that if Snape was allowed an answer to a personal question, he should be allowed one as well. "Were they too busy with work?"_

"_No," Snape admitted. "They argued quite a lot. They weren't very fond of each other, you see."_

"_And when they weren't arguing?" Sirius asked, feeling certain that two people couldn't argue for that long. Even he and Snape, who were childhood enemies, hadn't argued the entirety of the three days they spent alone together._

_Snape looked down, as though contemplating whether or not she should say. _

"_They were both drug addicts," Snape revealed hesitantly. "That's actually how they met."_

"_Oh," Sirius said, feeling quite surprised. "Sorry."_

"_Let's get to cleaning that third room," Snape said, standing up._

_Sirius nodded, following Snape upstairs._

* * *

_**April 5, 1996**_

"_Sev!" Sirius exclaimed, as Severus emerged from the fireplace in Number 12 Grimmauld Place's living room. As soon as Severus stepped into the living room, Sirius hugged her._

"_I'm sorry for snapping at you," Sirius apologized quietly into Severus' hair._

"_It's alright," she said. "I know you have a soft spot for the boy."_

_Sirius kissed Severus deeply. _

"_I've missed you," Sirius sighed. _

_While he and Severus had only been seeing each other romantically for about eight months, Sirius truly felt happier than he had felt even before Azkaban._

"_Is anyone else here?" Snape asked._

_Sirius shook his head. "Nope. The Weasleys are at their home, and everyone else has work or Order tasks."_

_Sirius still felt quite bitter about the fact that his Order task was to sit at his parents' home and stay there._

"_Just give it some time," Severus said. "Soon everyone will know that you're not a murderer, and you'll be able to come and go as you please. You just need to be patient."_

_Sirius pouted playfully. "I'm not good at being patient."_

"_How long are you here for?" Sirius asked, after bringing two bottles of Butterbeer for himself and Severus and sitting down next to Severus._

"_I have to be back at Hogwarts on Monday," Severus answered. "Dumbledore just wanted me to check up on you for the weekend."_

"_Awww, old Dumby cares," Sirius remarked bitterly._

"_Actually, he just seemed worried that you might leave," Severus said._

"_Of course," Sirius rolled his eyes. _

"_And he thinks you'll keep me from leaving?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow._

"_It appears so," Severus said, smirking. _

_Sirius chuckled before pulling Severus in for a kiss._

* * *

"Please say something," Sirius said desperately, looking at James.

"You two are really in love then?" James said, still looking stunned. It seemed to Harry that James was hoping that Sirius would begin laughing and reveal that it had all been one big joke.

Sirius nodded. "And I-we hope that you're okay with it, even if you're not particularly supportive."

James sat quietly for so long that Harry was certain that he wasn't going to respond.

"I support you," James said quietly. "I'll always support you, Padfoot. You're my best friend."

"Thanks, James," Sirius said, sincerely.

Suddenly, James pulled Sirius in for a hug.

"I missed you, mate," Sirius said, openly crying along with James.

"I can't believe you're dating Snape," James sobbed.

"I know it's so weird," Sirius responded, also sobbing.

"These are the men we have chosen to go out with," Lily whispered to Snape, who observed the scene with a concerned look on her face.

"We should probably stop this," Sirius said after a few more minutes. "I think we're scaring the children."

"And the adults," Bill added under his breath.

Sirius and James stopped hugging and wiped their tears on their sleeves.

"Welcome to the family, Snape," James said, pulling Snape in for a hug which she did not look very comfortable with at all.

"Erm, thank you, Potter," Snape said, awkwardly patting James on the back as he continued to cling to her.

Once everything finally calmed down, everyone quickly got to work putting up a few final decorations and helping Mrs. Weasley and Ron with the cooking. After a few hours, it was time for the party.

At eight o'clock exactly, the large two-way mirror in the living room suddenly showed Jamie's hospital room, with Jamie lying quietly on his bed.

"So, Teddy and Florence should be here in 3, 2, 1…" Ron said, pointing towards the front door just as the doorbell rang.

Harry sighed before standing up. "I think I should explain the situation to them beforehand."

"Hey, there, Uncle Harry," Teddy greeted cheerfully.

"Hi, Teddy. Hi, Florence," Harry greeted.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Potter?" Florence asked, once again surprising Harry with her perceptiveness.

Harry sighed before explaining the situation to them.

Florence nodded slowly, taking in what she had just heard, while, much to Harry's surprise, Teddy looked completely shell-shocked.

"Are you alright, Teds?" Harry asked, feeling slightly concerned at the panicked look on Teddy's face.

"Erm...I-I...I don't know," Teddy answered, his hair shifting from teal blue to black. "I-I think… I think I-I just… I just need to be alone right now." Teddy promptly turned around and left through the front door.

"Oh, dear," Florence remarked.

Harry nodded. "Are you alright?"

Florence nodded. "I'm fine. Just a bit surprised."

"Let's go inside," Harry suggested, guiding Florence to the living room.

"Hi, everyone," Florence greeted. "Teddy and I brought a cake."

"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, standing up to give Florence a hug. "I'll just put this in the kitchen."

"Where's Teddy?" Remus asked, sounding hurt.

"He just needs a minute," Harry revealed. "He was quite shocked, that's all."

Remus and Tonks both nodded sadly.

While everyone broke off into their own discussions, Valerie approached Harry.

"Do you want to talk to him or should I?" Valerie asked quietly. While Valerie was very much like a mother to Teddy, Harry felt that it would be better for him to talk to Teddy, as he likely understood more of what Teddy might have been feeling.

"I'll go," Harry said, standing up.

When Harry walked through the front door, he wasn't surprised to see Teddy sitting on a step, looking directly ahead. He was, however, surprised to see the tears in Teddy's eyes.

"Hey, mate," Harry said, sitting down next to Teddy. "What's going on?"

Teddy quickly wiped his eyes.

"I'm not angry or upset, I swear," Teddy said quickly, trying to stop the tears falling from his eyes. "I-I just… I don't know."

Harry pulled Teddy in for a hug and kissed his forehead.

"It's alright, dear," Harry whispered soothingly, as Teddy snuggled his head into Harry's shoulder and began crying again.

"Now what's really going on?" Harry asked, as Teddy pulled away.

"I think I'm just scared," Teddy answered.

Harry nodded in understanding. He, too, had felt conflicted when he had initially met his parents earlier that day. While he was excited to see them, he feared that his parents would be disappointed or dissatisfied with who he was or how his life was going.

"What if they don't like Flo, or-or my job, or..." Teddy paused for a moment before turning to Harry, looking at him with a look of complete fear in his face, much like he did during thunderstorms when he was a toddler or when he had nightmares as a child. "What if they don't like me?"

"Oh, Teddy," Harry sighed, pulling Teddy in for another hug. "Your parents love you."

"I know that," Teddy insisted. "But what if they don't _like _me? What if they think I'm boring or irritating or-or stupid? What if they just don't like me and they're not sure why?"

Harry sighed, knowing that he likely wouldn't be able to talk Teddy out of this highly unlikely scenario.

"If they don't like you, which is _highly, highly_ unlikely," Harry said, honestly. "You'll still have me and Aunt Val and Jamie, Al, and Kate, and all of the Weasleys. So you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

After a few seconds, Teddy nodded. "I suppose you're right."

They sat there for a few more minutes before Teddy stood up.

"I-I think I'm ready to go inside."

"Alright, then," Harry said, standing up and patting Teddy on the back.


	8. Chapter 8

**"**Hi, everyone," Teddy greeted sheepishly, as he and Harry entered the living room.

"Teddy!" Kate exclaimed excitedly, running over to give Teddy a hug.

"Hey, there, Katie," Teddy said, smiling and returning Kate's hug.

Much to Harry's relief, Remus and Tonks seemed to have decided not to approach Teddy too quickly, allowing Teddy a chance to relax first.

After about half an hour, all of the guests, including Neville Longbottom, his wife, Hannah, and their twelve-year-old son Max, and Fleur's younger sister, Gabrielle, had arrived, among other close friends and family members. At this point, everyone had split up into separate groups to have different conversations or play games of Exploding Snap or chess.

Harry noticed Remus somewhat nervously approaching Teddy, who was rapt in a conversation with Lily, Tessa, and Freddie on sports injuries and advancements in sports medicine.

"Hi," Remus greeted nervously. "I-I couldn't help but overhear, but, Teddy, did you say you work with Madam Pomfrey, now?"

Teddy nodded. "Erm, yeah, I started working with her a couple years after I graduated Hogwarts," Teddy explained. "I'll be taking over from her starting next year."

"That's amazing," Remus said sincerely. "I'm happy to hear that you've been doing so well."

"Thanks," Teddy said with a small smile, the tips of his hair turning slightly pink.

Harry smiled to himself, knowing how much Remus' approval meant to Teddy. He hoped that Teddy was beginning to realize that his fears about what his parents would think of him were quite far-fetched.

"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Weasley announced from the dining room, prompting everyone to walk over and sit down.

When he entered the dining room, Harry was happy to see Teddy sitting between Remus, who was also sitting next to Tonks, and Florence.

While Harry did engage in a few conversations, he spent most of dinner happily watching everyone else's smiling faces. He smiled bittersweetly watching Mrs. Weasley continually pile Fred's plate with food, a simple luxury she had been deprived of for over twenty years, and he was quite happy to see that Valerie and Lily had quickly become friends.

Dinner had gone surprisingly well with everyone seeming quite happy and excited to either meet or catch up with each other.

A few minutes after everyone finished eating and the children had all left in separate groups, Bill and Fleur's oldest daughter and Tessa's best friend other than Scorpius, Victoire, gasped.

"Florence, what is that on your hand?!" Victoire asked, with a huge smile on her face.

Florence, who had been having a conversation with Teddy, Remus, and Tonks, quickly looked up and turned her head towards Victoire.

"Sorry?"

"On your hand," Scorpius repeated, now also looking over at Florence's hands. Despite not being able to hear, Scorpius was able to follow conversations easily with his magical hearing aids, which subtitled spoken words for him.

Apparently in order to still the commotion, Mrs. Weasley grabbed Florence's left hand and looked at it, before squealing excitedly.

At this point, Florence and Teddy both smiled knowingly.

"I believe congratulations are in order," Mr. Weasley said happily, summoning over several bottles of Butterbeer.

Once everyone was handed a glass of Butterbeer, Harry stood up.

"To Teddy and Florence," Harry said, raising his glass. "May you continue to light up the world with your love."

"Cheers," Teddy and Florence said simultaneously, and the sound of laughter and glasses clinking lasted for several seconds before everyone sat back down.

"Now, let me see that ring!" Valerie said excitedly.

Florence smiled and moved her left hand forward toward Valerie, who gently grabbed it and gasped.

"It's stunning!"

"Yeah, great job on the ring, mate," George said. "Beautiful choice."

"Absolutely lovely," Tonks added, smiling widely.

"Thanks, guys," Teddy said, the tips of his hair growing pink again.

"So, how did it happen?" Freddie, who was one of Teddy's closest friends, as the pair had grown up together since the age of three. "I saw you both yesterday, and I didn't notice a ring, so it must have happened earlier today."

Florence nodded. "He asked me this morning."

* * *

_**December 31, 2022 (Florence's POV)**_

_As she had most mornings since she had gone blind at the age of seven, Florence woke up with the sunlight streaming in through one of the windows in her room. She had never been fond of alarm clocks as it was often difficult for her to turn them off, so the sunlight was definitely her preferred method. While Florence couldn't actually see the sun coming in through the window, she was able to see the difference in brightness and feel the sun's heat on her skin._

_As she shifted slightly to get out of bed, she heard her boyfriend groan next to her._

_"No," Teddy said sleepily, holding onto Florence. "Too early."_

_Florence chuckled, laying back down next to Teddy for a few more minutes. While she would have loved to stay in bed with him all day, she knew that, because she was blind, it was important for her to have a set sleeping schedule, as she was not able to see much difference between night and day._

_"I need to get up now," Florence whispered to Teddy, kissing his forehead._

_Teddy groaned again. "When do we have to go watch Jamie?"_

_"At twelve," Florence reminded him._

_As Teddy hadn't responded, Florence assumed he fell asleep again. After checking her watch, which would read the time out to her when she tapped it, she decided to give Teddy an hour or so more to sleep, as it was still early and Teddy hadn't slept well the night before._

_After making herself breakfast, a task that would have been difficult given her blindness but was made much easier with magic, and getting dressed, she walked over to the bed to try and wake Teddy up again._

_"Baby, it's time to get up, now," Florence whispered, gently stroking Teddy's face. "I've made breakfast."_

_She felt the bed move and knew that Teddy had sat up._

_"Feel more awake now?" Florence asked._

_"Yeah," Teddy answered. "Sorry about that. I couldn't really sleep last night."_

_"Something on your mind?"_

_"Kind of," Teddy said, sounding rather nervous._

_"What's up?" Florence asked, moving over to sit next to Teddy._

_Teddy remained quiet for several seconds._

_"It's nothing," Teddy said quickly. "It's just...nothing, it's...it's nothing._

_"Alright," Florence said, feeling skeptical but deciding not to push the subject._

_As the morning went on, Teddy seemed to get back to his usual self, causing Florence to feel that whatever had been troubling him must not have been that important._

_Just as Florence sat down on the couch to read a book while she waited for twelve o'clock to come along, the phone rang._

_"I'll get it!" Teddy called from the bedroom, where Florence assumed he was making the bed and tidying up as he usually did after breakfast._

_After a few minutes, Florence heard Teddy walking into the living room._

_"Who was it?" Florence asked._

_"Oh, there's a package downstairs for us," Teddy said. "Do you mind going to get it? I'll clean the kitchen."_

_"Sure," Florence said, standing up and grabbing her wand, which she often used to guide her when she was walking around on her own, before going downstairs to pick up whatever it was that had been delivered to her and Teddy._

_"Mornin', Miss Flo," Mr. Waterman, the man who worked at the front desk of the building where Florence and Teddy lived, greeted. "Got a package for you 'ere."_

_Florence heard some shuffling which she assumed to be Mr. Waterman picking up the package from behind his desk._

_"It's a bouquet o' roses," Mr. Waterman explained, handing Florence the large bunch of flowers. "All different colours."_

_Florence breathed in the smell of the roses and smiled, as she loved being able to smell all of the different scents, rather than just having a bouquet with one type of flower._

_"Do you know who sent them?" Florence asked._

_"Nope," Mr. Waterman said unconvincingly. "No note."_

_"Alright, then," Florence said skeptically, but not feeling too worried as her magic usually helped her sense if something was wrong. "Have a nice day."_

_"You an' Ted, too. 'Appy 'olidays."_

_Florence walked back up to her and Teddy's apartment smiling as she smelled the roses._

_As she entered the apartment, she was met with the sound of gentle piano music and felt a light, comfortable breeze which told her that the windows in the apartment were very slightly open, as it was winter._

_"Teddy?" Florence called, walking into the apartment and closing the door._

_"In here," Teddy's voice called._

_Florence walked a few meters forward, following Teddy's voice into the living room._

_Just as she was about to tell Teddy about the flowers, he held her hand._

_"Florence, I love you," Teddy started, his voice sounding quiet and nervous. Florence could also feel his hand shaking slightly in hers._

_"I love you, too, darling," Florence said, after a few moments of silence, feeling quite confused as to why Teddy chose to address her as "Florence" when he usually just called her "Flo". "What's this all about?"_

_"I-I love you," Teddy repeated. "And I love the way you look at the world, well, not really look, obviously, because you're blind, but you know what I mean, and I love the way you clap your hands when you laugh and the way you always seem to know where I am and how I'm feeling even though you can't see me. And I've loved you since we were nineteen and you walked into Uncle George's shop and asked if they sold fireworks."_

_Florence laughed at Teddy's rambled speech._

_"-And I would love to get the chance to spend forever with you, if you'll have me. Minerva Florence Prince, will you marry me?"_

_Florence smiled, before leaning forward to kiss him, feeling grateful that he had decided against going down on one knee._

_"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Teddy said cheekily, after a few minutes of kissing._

_"Of course," Florence chuckled. "Although, if you ever call me 'Minerva' again, I might have to change my mind."_

_Teddy chuckled. "Noted."_

* * *

"Zat is so beautiful," Fleur responded, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Very romantic," Fred agreed.

"So when's the big day?" Remus asked.

"Erm," Teddy started. "We were thinking sometime over the summer. Probably July."

"It just makes sense with both of us working at Hogwarts," Florence said. "And half the family being at school."

"We're just waiting to figure out around when the full moon will be, so the dates don't conflict," Teddy explained.

"Not because of you, Dad," Teddy added quickly, likely seeing Remus looking down. "There have been plenty of advancements to help werewolves."

"Really?" Remus asked, clearly trying not to get his hopes up too high. "What type of advancements have they made?"

"Loads," the second oldest of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley children, Charlie, said. "They make the original Wolfsbane Potion look minimal."

The next half an hour or so was spent discussing the recent advancements in magical law regarding werewolf rights, advancements that were made possible almost entirely by Percy, who worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic, and Hermione, who used her position as editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet to advocate for the acceptance of werewolves by the general wizarding public. Through Percy and Hermione's work, werewolves were now able to get and keep jobs, as long as they took the necessary precautions during the full moon, and were able to get easy access to varying levels of Wolfsbane Potion. The original Wolfsbane Potion, which would make werewolves who drank it safe during the full moon, could be found at almost every potion shop for around four to six galleons per vial, while the latest version of it, which not only made werewolves safe, but also took away illness and tiredness prior to and following the full moon and only needed to be taken once about a week before the full moon and again the day of, was around twenty-five galleons per vial.

"Do you still get sick during the full moon?" Tonks asked Teddy suddenly.

* * *

**_January 30, 1997 (Tonks' POV)_**

_The wailing from upstairs told Tonks that her usually happy, giggling five-month-old was once again awake._

_"I'll get him," an exhausted-looking Remus said, standing up from the couch and walking upstairs before Tonks could try to talk him out of it. While she, too, was tired after an entire night of Teddy's on-and-off screaming, Tonks knew that Remus must have felt much worse as, despite the Wolfsbane Potion, Remus still felt quite ill the week leading up to the full moon._

_After several minutes, in which Teddy's crying had not subsided, Tonks decided to go upstairs and attempt to help. The sight that she was met with when she entered Teddy's nursery broke her heart._

_"I'm so so sorry, darling," Remus sobbed, cradling the screaming infant, whose hair was now a deep red, likely due to the immense pain he was in. "This is my fault. I'm so sorry."_

_"It's not your fault, Remus," Tonks assured quietly, hugging her boyfriend from behind._

_Remus shook his head. "It is," He argued. "He hardly ever cries unless it's full moon, and we both know it's not because his mother's a metamorphmagus."_

_Tonks sighed, feeling somewhat defeated. She had to admit that she and Remus had gotten quite lucky with Teddy. While she and Remus hadn't really wanted children, and certainly weren't planning on having any more, they had both quickly fallen in love with little Teddy, despite him being very much unplanned. Since he was born, he had hardly ever cried, would happily go to anyone he was handed to, and slept quite well most nights. However, on the day of the full moon, Teddy became a completely different baby._

_"It just seems bad because he's also teething," Tonks reminded Remus, attempting to calm him. "He wasn't nearly this bad last month or the month before. And he was quite cranky two weeks ago when he started teething, and it wasn't even near full moon."_

_"And if you want to blame someone for his full moon problems," Tonks added. "Blame Greyback. You didn't ask to be bitten when you were four. It is not your fault."_

_Remus nodded, smiling for the first time in nearly two days. "I suppose you're right."_

_"Of course, I am," Tonks said confidently. "Now, hand me our little angel. Teddy probably just needs his mummy."_

_Just as Remus handed Teddy over to Tonks, Teddy began wailing even harder._

_"Dada! Dada!" He screamed, reaching his tiny hands over to Remus._

_Tonks looked over at Remus, who looked as shocked as she felt._

_"Did he just…?" Remus stared at Teddy._

_"I think so," Tonks said excitedly._

_"DADA!" Teddy shrieked, seemingly frustrated at not being handed over to his father immediately._

_Remus smiled brightly before taking the small child from Tonks. "There, there, Teddy. Dada's got you. Dada's here."_

_Tonks felt so happy about the joy on Remus' face that she couldn't even feel upset that Teddy's first words had been "Dada" instead of "Mama"._

* * *

"Yes," Teddy answered. "Every full moon."

"His hair still turns dark red when he's in pain, too," Harry added.

"And yellowish-green when he's about to be sick," Valerie said.

"Uncle Harry and Aunt Valerie know all the full moon blues stages," Teddy informed.

"Of course, we do," Harry said. "Grumpy Teddy, Super Grumpy Teddy, Sleepy Teddy, Migraine Level 1 Teddy, Migraine Level 2 Teddy, Vomiting Teddy, Sleepy Teddy Part 2, Migraine Level 3 Teddy, Vomiting Teddy Part 2, Bathtub Teddy, Sleepy Teddy Part 3, and Back-to-Normal Teddy."

"What the difference between 'Grumpy Teddy' and 'Super Grumpy Teddy'?" James asked.

"Well, 'Grumpy Teddy' usually shows up the day before the full moon and uses lovely phrases such as 'Please, fuck off, please,'" Valerie explained, chuckling. "While 'Super Grumpy Teddy' usually arrives the morning of the full moon, speaks in mostly swear words, one-to-two-word sentences, and grunts. His favourite phrases include 'Fucking fuck off' and the ever so eloquent 'Fucking shit fucking bloody hell, why?'"

"That's my personal favourite," Teddy remarked.

"Can't you take potions to help with some of the issues?" Lily asked.

"Well, I could," Teddy answered. "But they don't really do much. I think it's because it's a full moon thing, not a normal illness."

"That makes so much sense," Tonks remarked, looking as though she had just made an important realization. "I'd always try to give Teddy pediatric potions to calm him down on the full moon days, but they didn't really do anything."

"And taking pain potions doesn't help werewolves much leading up to the full moon, either, does it?" Teddy asked Remus.

Remus shook his head. "Not really, no."

Just then a cry was heard from the living room.

"That's our call," George said, turning to Luna before standing up from his chair.

"No, no," Mrs. Weasley insisted. "I'll go get the little one."

George allowed Mrs. Weasley to leave the room before standing up again.

"What Mum doesn't know is, if one of them starts crying, the rest aren't far behind," George explained before heading into the living room

"I think they get upset when they hear each other cry," Luna added, following her husband out of the room.

After nearly half an hour, Mrs. Weasley, George, and Luna all reentered the dining room, bringing the babies, who were all swaddled in their colour-coded blankets.

"We've just bathed them all," George explained, holding both of his daughters.

"May I hold one of them?" James asked George excitedly. As the babies had been fast asleep for most of their time at the Burrow, this was the first time that most of the adults had of interacting with them.

"Sure," George said, carefully maneuvering Olivia into James arms.

"Hi, sweetheart," James practically squealed.

"What's her name?" Lily asked, smiling brightly at the little girl, who was now clinging onto her finger.

"Olivia," Luna answered.

Over the course of several minutes, George and Luna's newborns were cuddled by everyone in the room, until one by one each infant fell asleep.

After a few hours, everyone celebrated the clock striking twelve signaling the beginning of the new year. After a rather quick discussion, all of those who had woken up this morning believing it was either 1981 or 1998 had found either a temporary or permanent home. Remus and Tonks had agreed to live with Florence and Teddy, as the fireplace in Florence and Teddy's flat was connected to the Hogwarts' floo network, and Remus had accepted the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor that McGonagall had offered him earlier that day. While the meeting between Florence and her parents had gone quite well, Sirius and Severus had decided to stay at Harry and Valerie's home, as James and Sirius insisted that they needed to catch up. Fred and Ava chose to stay at the Burrow, after much insistence from Mrs. Weasley.

A little bit after one in the morning, everyone went to their separate homes, except Hermione who had offered to watch Jamie until later in that morning.

As Harry got ready for bed, he felt quite excited about what the future would hold now that many important figures in his childhood and adolescence would now have the chance to be a part of his adult years.


	9. Chapter 9

For the first time since Jamie had been in the hospital, Harry had begun his morning routine of waking up early and making breakfast while everyone else was still asleep. While Harry loved his family dearly, he also enjoyed having some time to himself. However, after Jamie got hurt, Harry couldn't do much other than visit Jamie and lay in bed, often needing at least an hour to build up the courage to get through the day.

"Oh, good morning," a voice said suddenly from behind Harry, startling him. He quickly turned away from the stove where he was frying some eggs to see his mother.

"Good morning, Mum," Harry responded. "What are you doing up already?"

"I'm more of a morning person," Lily said, putting some water in the kettle. "As I can see you are as well."

Harry simply nodded in response, still getting used to having his mother around.

"Even when you were a tiny baby, you were a morning person," Lily said, smiling rather sadly. "It drove your dad crazy. He likes his sleep, you see."

"Valerie's the same," Harry said. "The only reason she's been getting up early is because of Jamie. It's just been really hard, you know, trying to get out of bed knowing he's in the hospital."

Lily nodded in understanding.

"Well, let's finish up this breakfast, shall we?" Lily prompted, taking out a few mugs for tea.

Harry nodded in agreement, feeling grateful that Lily had pulled him away from his sad thoughts of Jamie.

Just as Harry and Lily finished making breakfast, Kate bounded downstairs.

"Morning, Dad!" Kate greeted. "Morning, Grandmum Lily."

"Good morning," Harry and Lily said simultaneously.

"I see we have another morning person," Lily guessed.

"Oh, yes," Harry confirmed. "If she hadn't stayed up so late last night, she would've been up much earlier."

"I like mornings," Kate said, happily eating her breakfast.

As the morning went on, Valerie, Al, and James had finally gotten out of bed, and everyone had eaten their breakfast.

"What are our plans for today?" James asked, now looking much more awake than he had an hour earlier.

"Well, it's my turn to watch Jamie this afternoon," Harry said. "So, I'll be there for a few hours."

"Can I go play quidditch with Hugo?" Kate asked eagerly.

"Do you like quidditch, Kate?" James asked, seemingly trying to contain his excitement.

Kate gasped. "I _love _quidditch!" James and Kate began excitedly discussing all things quidditch, including their favourite teams and players and the best quidditch brooms. After several minutes, James had decided that he would go with Kate to the Granger home and coach Hugo and Kate on their quidditch skills.

"Do you know much about quidditch, Valerie?" Lily asked.

"Well, I didn't for the first twenty years of my life," Valerie chuckled. "But, after being with this one for so long, I've learned a bit about it, yes."

"How did you react to learning about the Wizarding World?" Lily asked, seeming quite interested.

"Oh, I was quite shocked at first," Valerie admitted.

* * *

_**October 31, 1999 (Harry's POV)**_

_After nearly a year of dating Valerie, Harry felt quite certain that she was someone who had earned a more permanent spot in his life. While he was certainly happy that he had found someone he wanted to share his life with, he was quite nervous about what that entailed for him, as she was a muggle and, as of yet, did not even know that wizards existed, let alone that she was dating one._

_Harry had decided that Halloween would be the best time to reveal who he truly was to Valerie, as it would give him an excuse to explain the full story about his parents and Voldemort. He had invited Valerie over to his flat for lunch, during which he would tell Valerie about magic. Harry didn't want to plan too far ahead, fearing that Valerie may not want to continue dating him after she found out who he really was._

_A little bit after twelve o'clock, he heard a knock on the door._

"_Hi, babe," Valerie answered, giving Harry a quick kiss before walking inside. "Lunch smells great."_

"_Thanks," Harry said, trying not to sound too nervous._

"_I feel awful that you're always cooking for me," Valerie chuckled. "But, honestly, you wouldn't want to eat anything cooked by me. I can't even make toast without burning it."_

_Harry laughed. "It's alright. I quite like cooking especially for you."_

"_Aww, thank you," Valerie said playfully. "So, what's the occasion? Other than it being Halloween."_

_This had been the moment Harry had been dreading. "Well, you remember how I said my parents were murdered on Halloween when I was a year old, right?"_

"_Oh, yes," Valerie said sadly. "Do you know who did it? You never said."_

"_Well, yes, I know who killed them," Harry said, realizing that this was significantly more difficult than he had initially thought. _

"_Okay…" Valerie said, urging him to continue._

_Harry sighed and paused for several seconds before speaking again. "He was a man called Tom Riddle, but he went by 'Voldemort'."_

"_Odd nickname," Valerie remarked. "But, then again, I suppose murderers have odd minds."_

_Harry chuckled before continuing on again. "He killed quite a few people before my parents, as well."_

"_Were you there when he killed your parents?" Valerie asked, seeming confused. "If he killed so many people, I don't see why he'd leave a baby there. He doesn't seem like someone who'd have much of a moral compass with that sort of thing."_

_The conversation had finally gotten to a crucial point. "Well, he tried to kill me," Harry started. "But my mother protected me by sacrificing herself for me. And when Voldemort tried to kill me, he couldn't because the power of my mother's sacrifice was too strong."_

_Harry knew that this explanation was quite vague, but he felt that it was better to start off slow so as to not completely scare Valerie away._

"_Okay…" Valerie looked completely confused at this point. "So, you're saying that this Voldy Riddle guy, Tom, or whatever, wanted to kill you, but then your mum sacrificed herself so that he wouldn't kill you."_

"_Basically," Harry confirmed, holding back a laugh at Valerie's complete disregard for the name that Voldemort had worked so hard to make remembered. _

"_But why would he even care about a sacrifice?" Valerie asked. "He could've easily just killed you once your parents were out of the way. I don't see why your mother dying to save you would've made him suddenly change his mind."_

"_Oh, he still wanted to kill me, and he did try, that's how I got the scar on my head," Harry explained. "But he _couldn't _because a magical sacrifice made out of pure love can prevent that sort of thing."_

_Valerie remained quiet for several seconds before speaking again. "_What?"

"_I...I'm a wizard," Harry said quietly. "And so were my parents and Voldemort. And that's how my mother saved me. And why you can't find any information on my parents' murder."_

_Valerie remained completely silent for a few minutes before, much to Harry's shock, bursting into laughter._

"_Oh, this is a Halloween prank, isn't it?" Valerie said between gasps of laughter."And I almost believed it, too. Ha! Voldy-mord! Oh my, how long have you been planning this?"_

_Harry certainly hadn't planned for this reaction._

"_It's not a joke, Val," Harry said insistently._

"_Oh, Harry, come off it," Valerie said playfully rolling her eyes. "Where's little Teddy, by the way? I was hoping to get to meet him today."_

_Just then, Harry found the perfect way to introduce magic to Valerie._

"_He's at Ron's parents house," Harry explained. "They've been watching him since this morning. Why don't we go visit? That way you get to meet the Weasleys, as well."_

_Harry knew that Valerie would be eager to take this opportunity, as she had been hoping to get to know more of the important people in Harry's life, having only met Ron and Hermione so far._

"_I'd love that!" Valerie said excitedly. "Let's go!"_

"_They must really like you if they're willing to drive all this way everyday to take care of Teddy," Valerie said, about an hour into the long drive to the Burrow, which was about an hour and a half's drive away from where Harry lived._

"_There are some… quicker routes," Harry said, choosing his words carefully. "Those routes aren't exactly available right now, though."_

"_Oh," Valerie said. "Alright, then."_

_After another half an hour of driving, Harry parked the car in front of the Burrow._

"_Wow," Valerie said, stepping out of the car. "How does that house even stay up?"_

"_Magic," Harry said simply, causing Valerie to laugh._

_While Valerie still didn't seem to believe Harry's story, it didn't take too long in the Burrow for Valerie to realize her mistake._

_Harry wasn't sure if it was Teddy's changing hair and eyes or Mrs. Weasley's self-knitting knitting needles or George suddenly popping out of the fireplace, but after less than ten minutes, Valerie walked Harry over to a secluded corner of the house._

"_Your story was true, wasn't it?" Valerie asked, looking quite concerned and confused now._

"_Yes," Harry said, hoping Valerie wasn't too upset._

"_W-was everything else a lie, then?" Valerie asked, looking more sad than angry. "The boarding school and working in London and all of that."_

"_No," Harry insisted. "I promise you, that was all true. I've just left out some of the details."_

_Valerie nodded slowly._

"_Are you angry?" Harry asked quietly._

_Valerie sighed. "I'm sure you had your reasons for not telling me," Valerie said calmly. "If you're willing to fill me in on the truth, the _entire _truth, I might be willing to… adapt, I suppose."_

_Harry sighed in relief. "I'll tell you everything, right now, if you want," Harry said eagerly. "Honestly, Valerie, I love you, and I wouldn't have told you the truth if I didn't. Please, believe me."_

_Valerie smirked. "If you cook me dinner and dessert, it might make it a bit easier for me to listen to all of your explanations."_

"_Deal," Harry chuckled._

* * *

"After a while, it was quite nice, though," Valerie said. "Especially once I realized I could just get Harry to do everything for me magically."

"What are you doing for the day, Valerie?" Lily asked after the discussion of Valerie's introduction to the Wizarding World had come to an end.

"Al and I are going to Diagon Alley," Valerie said.

"I'm trying to find a Christmas present for Jamie," Al explained. "I really wanted to take my time looking for a good one, especially because he won't know that I bought it after Christmas."

"I don't mind going to the hospital with you, if that's alright," Lily suggested to Harry, after everyone else had left. "It might get a bit boring all alone in a hospital room for hours."

"Of course," Harry said, eager to spend more time with his mother.

While Harry had felt excited to spend time with his mother, by the time he had arrived in Jamie's hospital room, he was quickly brought back to the reality of his son being in a coma. He immediately rushed over and sat down in a chair next to Jamie's bed.

"You must be quite close with him," Lily said quietly, causing Harry's eyes to flood with tears.

He barely processed his mother walking over to hug him.

"It'll be alright," Lily comforted him, sitting down in the chair next to him.

"Why don't you tell me more about him?" Lily asked, after a few minutes.

"He was such a cute baby," Harry answered, not really thinking much about his words as they poured out of his mouth. He wasn't really the one to speak about how he was feeling too much, but he found it really easy to speak to Lily. "Adorable, with messy black hair and huge brown eyes."

Harry paused for a moment to wipe his tears.

"But I didn't want Teddy to think that… that I didn't have time for him anymore, so I always made extra time for him,... so he wouldn't feel left out. I figured Jamie didn't need extra time with me because, you know, he had both me and Valerie as his parents, while Teddy didn't have his parents."

Harry sighed, trying his best to hold back his tears.

"Anyway, so, a few years later, Al was born, and he was so much like me, even just as a baby. And the older he got, the more like me he became, and I guess I felt a closer connection with him. I still do."

This was a major part of why Harry felt so guilty. Harry always had the closest bond with Al out of all of his children. Not only did Harry feel that he and Al had similar personalities, he also felt that he and Al had to deal with similar issues. They both looked a lot like their fathers, lacked much natural talent and confidence in classes, and weren't very popular among their peers. These traits were very different from Jamie's apparent natural talent and popularity. Jamie excelled in all of his classes seemingly with ease, mastered new quidditch skills with ease, and was well-liked by both professors and fellow students. Harry had felt that he and Al had to work hard for their achievements, while Jamie often relied on natural talent. While Harry often used this as an excuse to take Al's part over Jamie's, he felt incredibly guilty about it now, as it wasn't Jamie's fault that things came easily to him.

"So you'd spend extra time with him, too," Lily prompted sympathetically.

Harry nodded, his tears now falling too fast for him to wipe.

Once Harry calmed down a bit, he continued. "And then Kate came along, and she was my little girl, my only little girl."

Barely after speaking again, Harry was overwhelmed with guilt.

"And Jamie got even less time," Lily correctly guessed.

Harry nodded again. "I thought it would be alright because Jamie was confident and so so independent, everything's always just come so easily to him, you see. But after he got hurt, I-I realized that the only time I spent with him alone was when I was yelling at him. And I spoke to Valerie about it, and she said the same thing, you know, that, recently, she'd only ever spent time alone with him when he had gotten in trouble-"

Harry then realized what had truly been troubling him this entire time.

"What if he doesn't know? What if he thinks Valerie and I hate him, and we never get to tell him the truth?"

Harry and Lily sat quietly for several minutes.

"He knows you don't hate him," Lily said quietly.

Harry shook his head. "That can't be true," Harry argued. "I don't even remember the last time I told him 'I love you'. I didn't even say it when he got on the train in September. I had been so worked up about him teasing Al that I'd forgotten."

* * *

_**September 1, 2022 (Harry's POV)**_

"_Snakey, snakey! Time to wakey!" Harry overheard Jamie shouting as he bounded upstairs, causing Harry to instantly regret asking Jamie to wake Al up for breakfast._

_Much to Harry's annoyance, Jamie had continued to annoy his brother throughout breakfast, and Al, not being a morning person, was clearly frustrated at this but was clearly too tired to bother fighting back._

"_Hey, there, my slithering Slytherin sibling," Jamie began, once again teasing his brother. "Looking forward to being a slimy fourth year."_

"_Jamie," Harry warned. _

_Thankfully, his warning seemed to stop Jamie at least for long enough to get from the Potter family home to King's Cross Station. However, once they got to the station, the teasing started up again._

"_Hey, Al, there are some first years for you to hiss at," Jamie shouted before running through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾. After having to endure an entire summer of Jamie constantly teasing Al, Harry could barely take any more of it._

"_Jamie," Harry said, angrily grabbing Jamie's arm and moving him over to a quiet corner. _

"_What's up, Dad?" Jamie chattered, playfully. _

"_Hold off on Al," Harry warned. "He's been through enough as it is. You can't even imagine the things he's been through. He doesn't need you bullying him."_

_Harry could say with strong certainty that Jamie hadn't been through nearly as much as Al despite being two years older. Al had truly had a difficult third year. Mildred Goyle, who up until a few months ago had been one of Al's best friends, had tricked Al into going back in time to bring Voldemort back. Al had trusted that all Mildred wanted to do was go back in time to convince her parents to side with Harry rather than Voldemort, so that they wouldn't be in Azkaban in the future. However, as soon as they arrived in the past, Mildred turned on Al. While Voldemort was very nearly brought back, Al had held Mildred off and contacted Harry just in time to fix everything, however, not before Al had to witness some rather traumatic events, including having to witness several deaths during the Battle of Hogwarts._

"_It's just some light teasing, Dad, honestly-" Jamie rolled his eyes, attempting to defend himself._

"_No, it's not," Harry cut him off. "I better not hear that you've been bullying him while you two are at school, okay?"_

"_Okay, Dad," Jamie said, somewhat defeatedly. "The train's about to leave. I should get going."_

_Harry nodded sharply at Jamie, as he left to board the Hogwarts Express._

* * *

"And on top of that," Harry continued. "Al gave me a good telling off. Saying that Jamie overheard some of the harsh things I said about him-"

"Did you say harsh things about him?" Lily asked, a hint of sternness in her voice.

Harry nodded. "Yes, b-but I _swear_ I didn't mean them," Harry insisted more to himself than to Lily or Jamie. "I mean, maybe in the moment I did, but not anymore. I just wanted to comfort Al, and I didn't realize I was doing it at Jamie's expense."

"I _know_ that now, though," Harry added, turning to Jamie, gently running a hand through Jamie's slightly matted hair. "And I'm so very sorry for it."

* * *

_**July 3, 2022**_

_Harry gently knocked on the door of his second-eldest child's bedroom. "Al, can I come in?"_

"_Sure," Al's voice came from inside the room. Harry noticed that his voice sounded rather nasally, as though he had been crying._

"_Are you alright, Al?" Harry asked, sitting down on the edge of Al's bed. As Valerie and Kate had gone out for some mother-daughter time together, and Jamie was grounded for pulling a cruel prank on Al the day before and had to spend all of his free time doing chores around the house and in the garden, Harry and Al were able to have some time together to speak about what had happened only a few short months ago. _

"_I'm sorry about everything," Al said quietly._

"_You have nothing to be sorry for, Al," Harry assured gently, grasping Al's hand. "You thought you were helping a friend. It was an easy mistake to make, but you did the right thing in the end."_

_Al looked down, seemingly unconvinced._

"_Jamie hasn't gotten into nearly as much trouble in his entire time at Hogwarts than I did in just two months," Al remarked defeatedly._

_Harry had to admit that this was true. Jamie hadn't snuck out of school, hadn't stolen a time-turner, and certainly hadn't nearly brought back Voldemort on accident. However, he felt that Al was missing a rather important point._

"_True, but you got into trouble trying to help a friend," Harry pointed out. "All of the times Jamie has gotten into trouble, how ever small, has been for himself."_

"_Jamie's more like you, though," Al insisted. "He's in Gryffindor. He's great at quidditch, everyone says he'll definitely be picked for captain next year. He's great at his classes. All the teachers and the students love him." Likely due to the close relationship that he and Al shared, Harry could see that Al felt quite bitter about being sorted into Slytherin a few years ago and about his lack of quidditch skills. Harry knew that Jamie's constant teasing certainly added to Al's feelings of inadequacy._

"_I was nothing like Jamie at school," Harry admitted, nearly chuckling at the shocked look on Al's face. "It's true. Yeah, I was in Gryffindor and I was pretty good at quidditch, but I was average in my classes. Well, except, Defense, but all the others were rather average. And up until sixth year, I wasn't well-liked either. Plenty of people hated me."_

"_Really?" Al asked eagerly._

"_Oh, yeah," Harry said. "You can ask Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron if you don't believe me."_

"_And besides," Harry added. "Jamie might be smart and popular, but that's only natural talent. He's never had to work hard for anything. I'm sure that's why he's been doing so poorly in Defense. He seems to think that being a Potter is an automatic pass to not do anything. You're actually doing better than him in Defense."_

"_Really?" Al asked again, looking even more surprised than before. "But Jamie's so smart."_

"_Perhaps," Harry said. "But Defense is more about knowing when and how to defend yourself, and more importantly, others, and I'm not sure if Jamie understands that. In fact, I'm sure, despite his confidence, or should I say over-confidence, you're a better person than Jamie could ever be."_

"_Thanks, Dad," Al said, seeming rather touched._

* * *

"And, looking back, I should've known he heard something," Harry said, rambling. "Because the rest of that day, and even the next day, he was rather quiet and kept to himself quite a bit."

"He must've been so hurt by what I said," Harry sighed, grasping Jamie's hand and hoping somehow he would understand.

"First of all, you and Valerie have been so caring and loving towards him. That's not something that suddenly happens when people feel guilty. You truly care, and he has to have sensed that at least a little bit," Lily explained, breaking Harry out of his thoughts. "And second, even if he thought you hated him before, comatose patients can often hear and feel what's going on around them. He moans because he's trying to communicate with you all. So, he has to have heard quite a few 'I love you's and felt all of the hugs and kisses. He knows, Harry."

Harry wiped his tears again. "I just want him to be alright. I don't think I'd be able to go on if I lost him."

Just then, Jamie moaned, after having been surprisingly quiet throughout the time Harry and Lily had been sitting there.

"See, he _can _hear you," Lily insisted. "He's probably trying to tell you that everything will be just fine. Or he could be complaining that your crying is embarrassing him. One of the two."

Harry chuckled. "You're probably right. Thanks, Mum."

"You're welcome, dear," Lily said, hugging Harry tightly.

Soon six o'clock came along, and Harry gently kissed Jamie's forehead and greeted him for the night, as Bill would be sitting with Jamie for the rest of the evening.

"How's Jamie?" Al asked, as soon as Harry and Lily stepped out of the fireplace.

"He's alright," Harry said. "He's still been moaning quite a bit, and there were a few small face movements, too, especially when we were filling him in on everything that happened yesterday.

"That's great news," James said enthusiastically.

"Did the healers do any tests?" Al asked suddenly.

"Not while we were there," Harry answered. "But when Aunt Hermione was there, they ran a few pain tests-"

"And?" Al sounded very eager now.

"They said he's improving quite well," Harry informed with a small smile. "He's moving his face a bit more, no big movements, yet, but the healers said that those should be happening soon."

"With how hard he hit his head," James started, looking a bit confused. "Will he be alright, you know, mentally, when he wakes up? He has been asleep for a while."

This time Valerie explained, which Harry felt quite relieved about as he had blocked out the first few days of explanations, his mind only having space for guilt over Jamie.

"Well, they said, because of where he hit his head, the main problems he'll have will likely be speech, but they can't be certain what speech problems he'll have or how long he'll be affected. They also said he'll definitely be rather confused when he wakes up. He might not remember a lot of what happened before and after he got hurt."

James nodded in understanding.

"And on top of that," Valerie added. "His spine's completely snapped, so he'll be paralyzed from the waist down."

James sighed and shook his head. "That's awful. Poor thing."

"Jamie's strong, though," Al said, almost whispering. "He'll pull through."

"So, did you find a Christmas present for Jamie, Al?" Lily asked, changing the subject.

"I did," Al answered, looking more excited than he had in a while. "I'm making him a potions kit. Mum and I went to the apothecary and got a bunch of different ingredients and things. I think he'll really like it."

"A potions kit?" James said, with a disgusted grimace on his face. "Why would you get him that?"

"Erm, because he loves Potions," Kate stated as though the answer was obvious.

"It's his favourite subject," Al confirmed, seeming only slightly disheartened by James' blunt comment.

"Why?" James asked, still looking disgusted.

Lily lightly slapped him on the arm. "Hey, Potions is one of my favourite subjects, as well."

"Still doesn't make it a normal choice for a favourite subject," James argued quietly.

"I didn't know Potions was his favourite subject," Harry said, feeling both surprised and slightly disappointed in himself for not knowing. "I always thought it was Transfiguration."

"I would've thought it would be Defense Against the Dark Arts," Valerie said.

"He likes Transfiguration," Al said. "And he's always studying for Defense, but I don't think he likes it very much."

While Harry felt bad that he was only learning all of these things about Jamie now, he felt that it was better late than never. He also felt that it might be nice to learn all of these little details about Jamie's life know, so that he could ask Jamie more in-depth questions when he woke up.

"Is Defense still your favourite subject, Al?" Harry asked, knowing the answer but wanting to at least give the impression that he hadn't missed out on learning Jamie's interests.

"Of course," Al answered.

"At least one of my grandkids has their head on straight," James said, patting Al on the shoulder and causing Lily to playfully glare at him.


	10. Chapter 10

The next few days went by rather well for Harry and soon it was nearly time for all of the Hogwarts-aged children, and the adults who worked at Hogwarts, to go back to school. Florence and Teddy would be returning to their jobs as the History of Magic professor and Hogwarts mediwizard, respectively, and Remus and Severus had both accepted McGonagall's offer to resume their previous teaching posts, replacing Professors Sudworth and Slughorn who had both been hoping to retire.

Harry had officially integrated his formerly-deceased loved ones into his life and had finally begun to feel a sense of normalcy with their return.

For the first time in quite a while, Harry had the house to himself. Lily and Valerie, who had quickly become close friends, had gone to Diagon Alley together for lunch, Al and Kate were spending the day at the Burrow with their Weasley "cousins", and James, Sirius, and Remus were getting ready for the full moon.

After about half an hour of relaxing on the couch, reading a book called _Spinal Cord Injuries and Rehabilitation in the Wizarding World_, which Hermione had bought him for Christmas, there was a knock on the door.

When Harry opened the door, he was surprised to see Severus Snape with her usual somber expression standing in his doorway.

"Oh, erm, hello, Professor," Harry greeted. "What are you doing here?" While Harry and Snape were now civil with each other, he certainly didn't consider her a close friend and was quite sure that the feeling was mutual.

"May I come in?" Snape asked quietly.

"Of course," Harry said, stepping aside and allowing Snape to enter the house, before leading her into the living room. "Everyone else had other things to do today, so it's just me here. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you," Snape said sternly.

"Alright, then," Harry said, sitting down opposite Snape. "So, erm, what is it that you wanted here?"

For the first time in all of the time that Harry had known her, Snape looked rather vulnerable.

"I realize that I haven't been the kindest to you during your time at school," Snape said, continuing to look down rather than at Harry.

"Oh," Harry said, not quite knowing how to react.

Snape sighed. "At first, I will admit I didn't quite care about how you felt about how I had treated you, despite my… relationship with your godfather," Severus admitted, somewhat hesitantly, although altogether unsurprisingly, to Harry. "I figured that you and I would always be… annoyances in each other's lives."

Harry nodded slowly waiting for Snape to continue.

Snape sighed before pausing for a rather long time, and much to Harry's surprise looking up to meet Harry's eyes. "When I came back, I had been prepared to receive universal hostility," Snape stated. "However, over the past few days, I've been met with so much kindness and, even admiration, and in my search for answers as to why, I was always brought to the same conclusion."

Harry smirked a bit, knowing what Snape was about to tell him.

"Why on Earth, after the way that I treated you, after all that I've said and done deliberately to hurt you, would you go through all that effort to make me look like a hero?"

"I didn't _make _you look like a hero, Professor," Harry said sincerely. "I simply told the truth, and people interpreted it the way they did."

"But I never did any of it for _you_," Snape argued, oddly enough seeming like she was attempting to maintain her villainous image.

"I know that," Harry assured. "But I _also_ know that, without you, I probably would've died a long time ago, and I appreciate that."

Snape sighed again, this time sounding defeated. "I've been… _reviewing_ some of my previous interactions with you," Snape admitted, seeming rather sheepish. "And I must admit that I am rather ashamed of how I acted, especially considering your actions since the end of the war. I sincerely apologize for the way I treated you."

This completely shocked Harry, while he had somewhat expected Snape to want an explanation as to why she had died with everyone believing she was a villain but came back to a hero's welcome, he hadn't expected, or even really wanted, an apology.

"Erm, n-no need, Professor, really," Harry responded awkwardly.

"There _is _a need, Potter," Snape said sternly. "And there is no need for you to continue calling me 'Professor'. You are no longer a student."

"Erm, right," Harry said, still feeling shock. "Sorry, erm, Severus. But I still stand by my previous statement. I'm sure that, if I had to, not only teach, but constantly help, I don't know, Malfoy's kid, I'd probably act the same way you did."

Severus raised an eyebrow at this statement. "Why is it then that _all_ of Draco's children, including Scorpius, who looks identical to him, affectionately refer to you as 'Uncle Harry'?"

Harry didn't have a response to this. "Erm, well, you see, Draco's changed quite a bit after the war, and, bear in mind, those are also Ginny's kids."

Severus rolled her eyes in response. "Florence has also told me that you have been like a parent to her, and I happen to know that you knew that I'm her mother."

"Yeah, well," Harry sighed in frustration, not having a response. "I don't know, alright, I… "

"You're a better person than I am, Harry," Severus said with a satisfied smirk. "As much as it pains me to admit it."

"Is this the only reason you came here?" Harry asked.

"No, actually," Severus said. "I wanted to assure you that, regardless of the unprofessional manner in which I acted before, I promise to treat your children fairly and respectfully. You needn't worry about them being mistreated by me."

"Thank you, Severus," Harry said sincerely.

"There is yet another school-related topic I wish to address," Severus stated.

"Alright," Harry said, nodding for Severus to continue.

"I noticed that your son James is taking N.E.W.T.-level Potions with the seventh years," Severus informed.

This caught Harry quite a bit off-guard. "Really?" Harry asked.

"I see this is new information to you," Severus said, raising an eyebrow.

"Erm, yeah, a bit," Harry said, still trying to take in what he had just heard. "Was he put there by mistake?"

"Well, I have been looking through Slughorn's notes, as well as Jamie's exam scores and essays," Severus informed Harry. "It appears that he _was_ in sixth-year Potions. However, he was easily receiving well-deserved perfect scores on everything. I must say I agree with Slughorn's decision to move him ahead."

"Wow," Harry said, not realizing that Jamie had had a gift for Potions and feeling rather hurt that Jamie hadn't told him Slughorn had moved him ahead. "That's… wow."

"Very eloquent, Potter," Severus said, smirking, though with amusement rather than harshness.

"Is there some problem with his ability to do his Potions work and him being in the hospital?" Harry asked.

"Not entirely," Severus answered. "The main concern is what he will do for Potions next year. It may be too much to have him take his Potions N.E.W.T. with the seventh years, as he has missed over a month of classes already. However, I fear that he may be bored if I have him repeat the entire class next year with his peers."

Harry nodded in understanding, knowing that, based on what he had just heard, if Jamie woke up fairly soon, he would be able to catch up easily, making it pointless for him to repeat the class entirely, but, even so, he probably wouldn't feel comfortable taking the N.E.W.T.s just after recovering from a severe head injury.

"What do you think is the best option for him?" Harry asked.

Severus sighed deeply. "I would certainly be willing to offer him private lessons in place of a formal Potions class," Severus offered, much to Harry's surprise. "We could start as soon as he is mentally and physically able to be back at school."

"That would be great," Harry said gratefully. "Thank you."

Severus nodded curtly. "See it as my repayment for all that you've done for Florence over the years."

Harry nodded, not quite knowing how to respond.

Severus suddenly stood up. "That is all for today, Harry," she said curtly. "Thank you, again."

"Thank you, too, Severus," Harry said, shaking her hand. "It was nice seeing you."

With a short nod, Severus apparated away, leaving Harry once again alone at home.

At around mid-afternoon, everyone, other than James, was back at home, preparing for the next day, when Al would be returning back to school.

Harry awoke the next day, feeling quite surprised that it was already time for Al, and some of the Weasleys, to go back to school for the start of the next term.

"It's time to get going, Al, Kate," Harry called upstairs. "The Weasleys are waiting for us."

Each time the children had to go back to school, everyone in the family would meet up at the Burrow for breakfast before heading to King's Cross Station.

"Coming, Dad!" Kate shouted excitedly, bounding down the stairs, while Al carefully walked down the stairs dragging his trunk beside him.

"Ready to go?" Harry asked.

Al nodded, looking a bit sad. "I was just hoping that Jamie would be awake by now."

"I know, dear," Harry said quietly, kissing Al on the head. "But, he'll get better soon, don't let it worry you too much."

"You'll write me when he wakes up, won't you?" Al asked nervously.

"Of course, we will," Harry assured. "I'll even ask McGonagall to give you permission to visit him on weekends."

Al nodded, seeming much more calm after hearing this.

Soon Harry, Valerie, Al, Kate, James, and Lily all piled into the fireplace one after the other to floo to the Burrow.

All of the Hogwarts-aged children, including Al, Al's best friend, Violet, who was also Draco and Ginny's oldest daughter, Ron and Hermione's daughter, Rose, and Charlie and his wife, Marina's, daughter, Julia, chatted excitedly about the next term. Harry felt relieved that Al at least had some people at school, along with Teddy and Florence, to go to if he felt upset about Jamie.

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed sometime after breakfast. "It's nearly time to go."

Soon, everyone was ushered into a Ministry car, and they all made their way over to King's Cross Station.

"Remember to write me when Jamie wakes up," Al reminded Harry for the third or fourth time, as he boarded the Hogwarts Express.

"I will, Al. Don't you worry," Harry assured. "Have a good term!"

While it broke Harry's heart that he wasn't wishing both of his sons a good term, it took less than a week for the moment that Harry had been waiting for for over two months to occur.

Two days after the next Hogwarts term had started, Harry had gone back to work at the Ministry as an Auror trainer, Valerie had returned to her job as a primary school teacher, Lily had gone back to her job as a trainee healer, and James had begun applying to different quidditch teams, with the help of Ginny and Tessa who were both professional quidditch players.

While both Harry and Valerie had expressed to each other that they felt rather bad about returning to work while Jamie was still in the hospital, Harry had to admit that going back to work had allowed him at least a small break from his worry about Jamie.

By the time Friday came along, Harry felt perfectly comfortable at work, albeit a bit eager to hear back from James and Charlie about how Jamie was doing. As Harry had finished quite a bit of work that morning, he thought it would be nice to treat himself to a long lunch. Just as Harry grabbed his coat and apparate to Diagon Alley, there was a knock on his office door.

"Come in," Harry said, turning to the door to see who it was.

"Hi, Mr. Potter," Harry's assistant, Vincent Edmund, said, holding a letter. "This just arrived for you."

"Oh," Harry said, confused as to who had written to him, as Al's letters typically arrived on Sundays. "Thanks, Vincent."

Harry nearly dropped the letter after reading it. The letter had been short and to the point, and said, in Charlie's handwriting, "_He's awake. I've already called Valerie."_

Without a second's thought and his coat very much forgotten on the floor of his office, Harry apparated to St. Mungo's and practically ran to Jamie's room, where he was met with James, Charlie, and Valerie.

"Is he alright?" Harry asked frantically, as Valerie ran up to him. "What happened?"

Both Harry and Valerie turned to James and Charlie for an explanation.

"Well, he was really confused," James started. "And he only managed to stay awake for less than a minute, but he was certainly conscious."

* * *

_**January 10, 2023 (James' POV)**_

"_Do Jamie's moans usually sound like that?" James asked Charlie, noticing that Jamie's moans had begun to sound more like whimpers._

"_No," Charlie said, the concerned look on his face telling James that the sounds Jamie was making were rather unusual. _

"_Jamie, are you alright, mate?" Charlie asked, kneeling so that his face was right next to Jamie's and gently brushing some hair off of Jamie's forehead._

_Much to James', and apparently Charlie's, surprise, Jamie turned his head in the direction of Charlie's voice._

"_I'm guessing that's not normal for him, either," James guessed, kneeling at the other side of Jamie's head._

_Charlie shook his head. "Jamie, can you hear me?" Charlie asked, speaking very loud and clear. "Try to open your eyes if you can hear me, mate."_

_Jamie moved his face and whimpered a bit, and after several seconds, he managed to open his eyes, and squinted at James for a few seconds before speaking._

"_D-D-Dad," Jamie stammered, shivering quite a bit, tears streaming down his face. "D-D-Dad, s-s-sorry, p-p-please...S-sorry." James noticed that Jamie's facial expression went from confused and somewhat dazed to absolutely terrified._

_James immediately sat down on the bed next to Jamie, and held the shivering boy in his arms._

"_Shhh," James comforted him, deciding that it would be better for Jamie if he pretended to be Harry. "You're gonna be alright, love. Dad's here."_

_Charlie quickly rushed out of the room, likely to get a healer and call Harry and Valerie._

_James continued whispering words of comfort, while Jamie sobbed into his chest. It took less than a minute before Jamie's breathing slowed and James looked down to find his grandson fast asleep._

* * *

"After that, the healers came in," James explained. "And they did some test-"

"And?" Harry interrupted eager to hear how his son was doing.

"He woke up for all of them," Charlie answered. "He stayed awake for about twenty to thirty seconds each time. We could wake him up now if-"

"No!" Both Harry and Valerie exclaimed.

"The poor thing probably needs his sleep," Valerie explained, sitting down on a chair next to Jamie's bed. "He's been through a lot."

"Did he say anything the other times he woke up?" Harry asked.

Charlie and James looked at each other before Charlie spoke. "It was basically the same thing each time. He's confused for about a second or so, and then he just goes completely frantic. I don't think I've ever seen him that scared."

"He kept apologizing, too," James added, sounding a bit concerned. "And I'm pretty sure he thought I was you. He would squint around the room until he found me, and that's when he'd start going ballistic."

"I'd have thought James was trying to kill him," Charlie stated. "The way he was pleading, saying he was sorry."

"He's probably just confused," James said quickly, likely noticing the guilty looks on both Harry and Valerie's faces.

Just then Jamie began to stir.

"Jamie," Valerie sighed, practically diving over Harry to grasp Jamie's hand. "Are you waking up, love? Wake up for Mummy. Mummy's here, darling. Please, wake up."

This was the first time since Jamie ended up in the hospital that Harry saw Valerie completely lose her composure.

Jamie groaned a bit before finally opening his eyes, almost immediately focusing his stare on Harry.

"D-D-Dad," Jamie stammered, hyperventilating slightly. "P-p-please, D-D-Dad, s-s-sorry."

Harry sat on the bed and held his son to his chest, allowing his need to comfort his child to overpower the odd mix of excitement, shock, and guilt he was feeling. "It's alright, baby. You've got absolutely nothing to be sorry about, absolutely nothing." Harry tried to ignore the fact that Jamie looked completely terrified of him. He certainly hoped his screaming outburst from a few months ago hadn't caused his own child to fear him.

After what felt like days but could only have been half a minute, Jamie fell asleep. Harry's heart broke when he noticed that the shoulder of his shirt was completely wet with Jamie's tears.

Harry turned to Valerie who looked completely shocked, tears streaming down her face.

"Poor baby," Valerie whispered, grabbing a warm cloth to wipe Jamie's face.

"Where's Charlie?" Harry asked, noticing that the red-haired man was no longer in the room.

"He went to get a healer," James explained. "Jamie's healers wanted to explain some next steps to you both."

After only a few minutes, Jamie's main healer, Tabitha Delbert, entered the room to explain what would have to happen now that Jamie was awake. Charlie and James had decided to leave at this point, stating that Jamie would probably need some time alone with his parents, and vice versa.

"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Healer Delbert greeted smiling brightly. "We've got good news, today, haven't we?"

Harry and Valerie both nodded happily.

"Okay, let's get to business, then," Healer Delbert said, sitting down across from Harry and Valerie.

"So, for the first few days, Jamie will likely believe that he is still where he last remembers himself to be," Healer Delbert explained. "Based on the times that he had woken up so far, it seems that he believes that he has greatly upset you, Mr. Potter, in some way."

Harry nodded sadly, his fears that Jamie's mind was fixated on the interaction that they had had in Professor McGonagall's office confirmed.

"The best thing you can do over the next few days is to just comfort him as best you can," Healer Delbert suggested. "He shouldn't be awake for more than a minute or so, and he will likely forget anything you say to him, but it would be helpful to just comfort him as much as you can."

Harry made a mental note to take some more time off of work so that he could be with Jamie as often as possible.

"We'll also keep the charms keeping him clean and fed on for the next few days, as the most he will be able to stay awake will be about a minute, maybe a minute and a half," Healer Delbert added.

After waiting a bit for Harry and Valerie to process what she had said so far, Healer Delbert continued.

"By the end of the week, he should be much more aware of his surroundings. At that point, we'll slowly wean him off of the charms and increase the pain potions just a bit. After that, we can start physical therapy and practice with different wheelchairs."

"How long would he be able to stay awake for by the end of the week?" Valerie asked.

"It should steadily increase each day," Healer Delbert explained. "But he should be able to keep awake for at least one to two hours by then."

Harry and Valerie nodded in understanding, allowing Healer Delbert to further explain the next steps for Jamie.

"It's hard to tell how he'll be after about a week. If he keeps improving steadily, he could be out of here as early as the beginning of February."

"I would suggest, however, whether he returns to Hogwarts immediately or stays at home for a bit, that he receives check-ups at least once a week," Healer Delbert suggested.

"Is there anything that we can do for him while he's in the hospital?" Valerie asked.

"There are a few things, actually," Healer Delbert said. "You could bring some comfortable clothes for him, not only for his comfort, but also so that he can practice changing clothing. Home-cooked meals, especially meals he particularly likes, any sit-down activities that he enjoys, anything along those lines."

"He should also be able to do some of his schoolwork after about a week or so, once he's mentally ready enough."

"Any questions?" Healer Delbert asked.

"How much will he remember of what happened?" Harry asked, feeling worried that Jamie's most recent memory from before the accident would be Harry shouting at him.

"It's difficult to tell," Healer Delbert answered. "Memory-related issues depend almost entirely on the patient, so we'll have to ask him when he's more prepared to answer. He may remember more as time goes along."

"And how often should he be waking up over the next few days?" Valerie asked.

"He should be waking up unprovoked about every few hours," Healer Delbert explained. "But he will likely wake up whenever provoked, so if he feels pain or the room is too loud or bright, anything like that may wake him."

"Any other questions?" Healer Delbert asked again.

"No, thank you, Healer Delbert," Valerie answered, after looking at Harry.

"Alright," Healer Delbert said, standing up. "I'll let you have some time with your son."

It took less than an hour for Jamie to wake up again, with very much the same reaction as he had made each time he had woken up that day.

This time, knowing that Jamie was very likely remembering being screamed at, Harry decided to change his approach slightly.

Harry held Jamie's hands and attempted to catch his attention.

"Jamie, darling-"

"S-s-sorry, D-D-Dad, s-s-sorry," Jamie interrupted frantically.

"It's alright, love," Harry said, attempting to remain as calm as possible. "Settle down, I need you to listen."

The word "listen" seemed to catch Jamie's attention, if only for a few seconds, allowing Harry a chance to make his point.

"I love you, Jamie," Harry said. "And I need you to know that, okay? And you do not need to apologize for anything. It's all in the past now."

For a brief moment, Harry thought that he had gotten through to Jamie. However, Harry quickly saw Jamie's eyes dazing over again, and before Harry could say another word, Jamie was fast asleep.

While Harry felt quite certain that Jamie wouldn't remember his words when he woke up again, he felt that speaking to Jamie had allowed Harry to feel at least a tiny bit better about himself and his relationship with his son.

"That was very good of you to say to Jamie," Valerie said quietly, breaking Harry out of his thought.

"You think so?" Harry asked, doubting the impact that his words would have on Jamie given his current state.

Valerie nodded. "I think it might be important for him to hear them when he _can_ remember them, though."

Harry nodded in agreement. "I think so, too."


	11. Chapter 11

"There's the Jamie we all know and love," Harry said cheerfully, entering Jamie's hospital room to find Jamie sitting up on his bed propped up by pillows. It was now Harry's turn to look after Jamie, taking over from Percy who had spent the morning with him. Harry was happy to see that, for the first time since he had woken up about two weeks ago, Jamie was beginning to look like himself, wearing his glasses and one of the sweaters Mrs. Weasley had knitted him for Christmas.

"Hey, there, Dad," Jamie greeted with a smile on his face. "Nice to actually be able to see you."

Harry chuckled, walking over to give his son a hug. "I'm surprised you were even able to tell it was me before," Harry said jokingly. Out of all three of Harry's children, Jamie had been the only one to inherit his terrible eyesight.

* * *

_**May 6, 2010 (Harry's POV)**_

"_Jamie, look," Harry said, holding a newspaper and pointing to a picture of Ginny scoring the winning goal at last night's quidditch match between Puddlemere United and Pride of Portree. "Who's that?"_

_The four-year-old, who was sitting next to Harry on the couch, looked up from his book and squinted at the newspaper in Harry's hands._

_After a few seconds, Jamie stood up on the couch, moving his head so close to the paper that his nose was almost touching it._

"_Auntie Ginny?" Jamie answered, sounding unsure._

_The fact that Jamie had to squint and move so close to the picture just to make a guess as to who it was concerned Harry quite a bit. While the picture was in black-and-white, making it difficult to quickly tell who it was, it was clearly Ginny._

"_And what is Auntie Ginny doing?" Harry asked, this time closely observing Jamie's actions._

"_Erm...," Jamie tilted his head and squinted at the picture. "I don't know."_

"_She's playing quidditch, Jamie," Harry explained gently, noticing that the child seemed to be getting rather frustrated._

"_Oh," Jamie said, nodding his head slowly._

_Just then Valerie walked into the room, after having just laid Al down for a nap._

"_Hello, there," Valerie said happily, sitting down next to Jamie. "What are you two up to?"_

"_We were just looking at this picture of Auntie Ginny, weren't we, Jamie?" Harry said._

_Jamie nodded. "Auntie Ginny's playing quidditch."_

"_Wow, that sounds fun," Valerie said before picking up the book that was on Jamie's lap. "What are you reading, Jamie?"_

"Goodnight, Moon," _Jamie answered with a bright smile. As Valerie worked as a primary school teacher, there was always a surplus of children's books in the Potter house._

"_That's a nice book," Valerie said. "Can you read it to me?"_

_Jamie nodded happily, before picking the book up and holding it only a few centimetres away from his face._

_Once again, Jamie squinted his eyes and tilted his head before beginning to read._

_While Jamie was distracted with reading his book, Valerie made eye contact with Harry. Harry could tell that she too felt concerned about Jamie's squinting._

"_Jamie, darling, are the words too small?" Valerie asked gently._

_Jamie shook his head. "No," Jamie insisted. "I can see them when I do this." Jamie proceeded to squint his eyes and tilt his head to the left._

"_What about just holding the book in front of you like this?" Harry placed the book about 30 centimetres away from Jamie's face._

"_Then I can't see them at all," Jamie answered, still squinting._

"_Okay, Jamie, we're gonna play a game. I want you to keep your head straight and your eyes wide open," Valerie explained carefully to the little boy. "Tell me when you can see the words, okay?"_

"_Okay, Mummy," Jamie said quickly, seeming excited. _

_It was only when the book was about 10 centimetres from Jamie's face that he was able to read the words without squinting._

"_I can see them!" Jamie exclaimed excitedly._

"_Wow, great job!" Valerie said cheerfully, although Harry could see a bit of worry in her eyes._

"_Jamie, why don't you play with your building blocks while Dad and I talk about your prize for doing so well?" Valerie suggested._

"_Okay," Jamie said, practically running over to his toy bin at the corner of the living room._

_Harry quickly followed Valerie into the kitchen._

"_I think Jamie needs glasses," Valerie said. _

"_I think so, too," Harry agreed. "He got so frustrated when he couldn't figure out what was going on in the newspaper picture."_

"_Mrs. Weasley also said he's been rubbing his eyes a lot," Valerie said. "She told me yesterday when I went to pick him and Al up."_

_During the week, Harry would drop Jamie and Al off at the Burrow before work, and Valerie would pick them up after she got out of work._

"_Is there a magical eye doctor we can take him to, or would we just take him to a regular one?" Valerie asked._

"_At the magical eye doctor, he could get glasses that adapt to his size and eyesight as he gets older, so we wouldn't have to take him there repeatedly" Harry explained, remembering the first time he went to a magical eye doctor a little bit after the war ended. "His glasses also wouldn't be able to break unless someone hits them with a spell."_

"_That sounds really convenient," Valerie said. "Especially for Jamie."_

_Harry had to agree with Valerie's statement as Jamie's exuberant personality often caused him to accidentally hurt himself and anything he happened to have in his hands at the time._

"_We could go today," Harry suggested. "Just get it over with, so that he won't have to suffer longer."_

_Valerie nodded in agreement. "I'll stay here with Al."_

_Harry and Valerie walked back into the living room to talk with Jamie._

"_Hey, there, Jamie," Harry said, crouching down next to Jamie, who was playing with his building blocks on the floor of the living room. "Why don't you and I go on a little adventure?"_

_Jamie's head quickly popped up, his eyes filled with excitement. "Just you and me?"_

"_Yes, Jamie," Harry said, smiling. "How does that sound?"_

_Jamie nodded his head enthusiastically._

"_Alright, then, go get ready to go."_

_With that Jamie ran out of the room to get dressed and put on his shoes._

_After less than an hour, Jamie's eyes were tested, and he was fitted with a new pair of glasses._

"_Now, I'm just like you, Daddy," Jamie said, walking out of the eye doctor's office with a huge smile on his face. _

_Harry felt grateful that Jamie seemed to be taking this new development in his young life quite well._

"_You sure are, Jamie," Harry said. "Let's go home and show Mummy and Al."_

_Jamie nodded so excitedly that his glasses almost fell off his face, causing Harry to laugh._

* * *

"In all honesty, I couldn't really," Jamie admitted, chuckling. "I just figured from the hair and the voice. If you sent Al here instead, I probably wouldn't have known."

"Or Granddad Potter," Harry said, figuring it would be best to explain the events of last month as quickly as possible.

Jamie looked rather confused. "I suppose so," Jamie said, slowly. "I mean, he did look quite a bit like you."

"He does," Harry said, before going on to explain the events that occured last month.

"Wait, so, your saying that on New Year's Eve, everyone that died because of Voldemort came back?" Jamie asked after Harry finished his explanation.

"Yes," Harry confirmed.

"Except Voldemort himself, because of the whole horcrux thing?" Jamie asked, causing Harry to nod.

Jamie laid back on his pillows and stared up at the ceiling for several seconds.

"And I thought just missing my birthday, Christmas, and New Year's was a lot," Jamie said quietly. "Meanwhile, I actually just slept through the most interesting winter holidays quite possibly of my life."

Jamie's statement had been a harsh reminder for Harry that Jamie had missed his seventeenth birthday.

"You certainly picked a great time to get hit in the back with a bludger," Harry remarked with a jovial tone, trying to hide the pain and guilt that he felt.

Jamie chuckled.

"I can't believe I was unconscious for two months," Jamie sighed.

"You gave us all quite the scare," Percy remarked, ruffling Jamie's hair. "The healers were certain you weren't going to wake up."

"Really?" Jamie asked, looking over at Harry.

"Even Madam Pomfrey said it was unlikely," Harry admitted.

"Wow," Jamie said, looking rather shocked and even a bit guilty. "That must've been hard to hear."

Harry looked down for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts.

"It was terrifying," Harry said quietly.

At that moment, Percy had chosen to leave the room, giving Harry and Jamie a chance to talk.

"Dad-" Jamie started.

"Jamie, I want to talk to you about what happened in Professor McGonagall's office," Harry started.

"Dad, honestly, it doesn't matter," Jamie said quickly.

Harry shook his head. "It _does_ matter, Jamie," Harry insisted. "And we need to talk about it."

Jamie sighed. "It was a mistake, Dad," Jamie said, clearly trying to end the topic of discussion "I promise it won't happen again."

That was when Harry realized the point that he wanted to make clear to Jamie and what exactly he wanted to say.

"That's not it, Jamie," Harry said. "How many times since you started at Hogwarts have you and I just sat together and talked, just you and me?"

Jamie huffed, clearly knowing what the answer was but not wanting to say it.

"The answer is not even once," Harry said. "We almost never spend time alone together."

Jamie huffed frustratedly. "Fine," Jamie said, sounding quite annoyed. "I'm sorry. If you and I had spent more time together, I'd be more like you and Al, and I wouldn't make any stupid Jamie mistakes. I'll make more of an effort in the future. Is that what you want to hear?"

"You're not understanding the point, Jamie," Harry said quickly, feeling a bit frustrated that the conversation was taking a rather unexpected turn.

"Then what _is_ the point?!" Jamie asked, looking quite worked up, his breathing becoming quite strained. "Wh-what...what is… what's the...p-p-point?"

Harry immediately became alarmed. "Calm down, Jamie," Harry said, reaching to grab Jamie's hands, causing Jamie to recoil back. "Jamie, please, baby, listen to me. You need to calm down, love."

"Y-y-you don't… you don't… C-C-CARE!" Jamie roared, clearly in quite a bit of physical and emotional pain and struggling to breath. Jamie frantically began pushing Harry away. "G-get away… get away f-from me!"

Harry stepped back, allowing Jamie some space, but also remaining close enough to help him if he got worse.

"Alright, Jamie," Harry said, as calmly as he could. "I'll stay right here, and I won't come any closer. But, please, please, just calm down. I don't want you to get hurt, and if that means giving you your space, I will, as much as it pains me to do that, I will."

It took Jamie several minutes before he was finally able to calm himself down, falling asleep almost immediately after, seemingly tired out from over-exertion.

After making sure that Jamie was physically alright, Harry, tears streaming down his face, sat down in an armchair in the corner of the room, allowing him to give Jamie some space while still being able to keep an eye on him.

After a while of crying and trying his best to come up with some way to apologize to Jamie, Harry fell asleep.

When Harry woke up, he found Jamie propped up on his pillows reading a Potions book.

After a few seconds, Jamie looked up and made eye contact with him before immediately looking down at his book.

"Jamie," Harry sighed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Jamie said bluntly, not looking up.

"Is that a Potions book?" Harry asked, knowing the answer, but desperately wanting to have a good conversation with his son.

"Yes," Jamie answered, still not looking up.

Harry sighed, trying his best to keep calm. "Professor Snape says you've got quite the gift for Potions" Harry said. "She showed me some of your test scores and essays, and I must say, I agree with her."

Much to Harry's disdain, Jamie simply shrugged.

"She's actually offering to give you private lessons," Harry revealed. "Once you're ready to be back at school, of course."

This seemed to catch Jamie's attention.

"Really?" Jamie asked, finally looking up from his book, clearly trying to hide the excitement in his voice.

"Really," Harry assured, walking over and sitting down on a chair next to Jamie's bed. "I figured, because Potions is your favourite subject, you might like getting private lessons from someone like Professor Snape."

This seemed to catch Jamie by surprise. "You know that Potions is my favourite subject?"

"Al told me," Harry admitted. "I wish it had been _you_ who told me."

Jamie rolled his eyes, looking annoyed. "Dad-"

"And it's my own fault you didn't tell me," Harry said quickly, cutting Jamie off before he got too frustrated. "Because I _always_ make time for Al and Kate and Teddy, but not for you. And that is my fault, and I am so incredibly sorry."

Jamie looked down, and Harry hoped that he was beginning to understand what he had been trying to say earlier.

"Mum and I realized that the only time we spend alone with you is when we're screaming at you," Harry said quietly, looking down so that Jamie wouldn't see the tears falling from his eyes. "And that is unacceptable. We're both willing to change that if you'll let us. I know we can't change the past, but hopefully, things can be different from now on."

Much to Harry's surprise, Jamie gently grasped his hand.

"Of course, Dad," Jamie said, his voice trembling slightly.

"I'm sorry for freaking out on you earlier," Jamie apologized after several seconds of silence. "I guess I was just worried that you were still angry with me."

"It's alright, Jamie," Harry said. "I'm sure it's just a reflex at this point, you know, assuming that I'm angry with you."

Jamie looked down but didn't say anything.

Over the next few days, Harry could feel his relationship with Jamie slowly growing stronger. While Jamie still wouldn't open up to Harry when something was bothering him, choosing instead to go to George or Ron, both of whom Jamie was quite close with, Jamie and Harry were now able to have rather long conversations. Jamie was also now finally well enough for the younger kids to come in and visit him. Al and the Hogwarts-aged Weasleys had all had a chance to visit Jamie a few days ago, during the Hogsmeade weekend. Harry had allowed Al a few hours alone with Jamie, as he knew that Al had missed his brother quite a bit.

"Jamie!" Kate shrieked, as soon as she entered Jamie's hospital room.

"Katie!" Jamie exclaimed, smiling brightly.

Kate jumped onto Jamie's bed, causing Harry's heart to practically jump out of his chest.

"Careful, Kate," Harry warned gently. "We don't want Jamie getting hurt worse."

"It's alright, Dad," Jamie assured, hugging Kate. "I think she managed to miss my legs."

"When do you get to come home, Jamie?" Kate asked excitedly.

"I'm not sure," Jamie answered, looking over to Harry and Valerie.

"Well, tomorrow, we get to test out some wheelchairs," Valerie explained to both Kate and Jamie. "Once you're comfortable enough with a wheelchair, you should be able to come home."

"That is, if you're comfortable with everything else as well," Harry added.

Jamie nodded. "I think I'm fine with everything else," Jamie said. "I can bathe on my own, with a shower chair, of course. I can change clothes. And yesterday, the healers taught me how to drain my bladder, which was obviously a _fantastic_ experience"

"Oh, really?" Valerie said, chuckling.

"Oh, yes," Jamie remarked with playful sarcasm. "Three wizards standing around the toilet watching me point my wand at my, you know, _wand_, was definitely the highlight of my day, and quite possibly of my life."

Harry laughed. "That sounds mortifying."

"It really was," Jamie groaned. "And Aunt Hermione tried to make things better by telling me about muggle catheters-"

Both Harry and Valerie groaned in disgust.

"It was probably the worst, most disturbingly awkward day of my life."

"Why can't you just go to the toilet like normal?" Kate asked, still sitting practically on top of Jamie on his bed.

"Well, because of the bludger hitting my back, I can't feel anything below my belly button," Jamie explained carefully.

"Forever?" Kate asked, looking shocked.

"Yep," Jamie nodded, clearly trying to hide his sadness at the fact that his injuries would be permanent.

"Will you be able to walk?" Kate asked, looking rather concerned for her brother.

"The healers said, with a bit of practice, I should be able to move my hips and my legs after a while," Jamie explained. "They even said I'd be able to play quidditch, with a wheelchair broom, of course."

"Well, that's good," Kate said, looking relieved. "I was worried you'd have to sit out all of the family quidditch matches."

"Not a chance," Jamie chuckled. "As soon as I'm better, the Weasleys better watch out."

"Let's just hope no one sends a bludger at your back," Kate remarked jokingly.

"Well, you'll have to make sure that that doesn't happen," Jamie said. "Mum and Dad told me you're getting quite good with a beater's bat."

Despite being quite tiny, Harry had to admit that Kate could be quite ruthless with a beater's bat. In fact, during the tryouts for Puddlemere United's junior training camp, Kate had performed better than anyone else in her age group and the age group above her, despite being the smallest by quite a bit.

"Oh, yeah," Kate said excitedly. "Aunt Ginny said, if I keep practicing and working hard, she can see me playing quidditch at Hogwarts and even professionally if I wanted to."

"That's great!" Jamie said enthusiastically.

After about an hour or so, both Kate and Jamie had fallen asleep, a book that Jamie had been reading out loud draped across his chest.

Valerie chuckled, gently picking up the book and taking Jamie's glasses off before putting them on the bedside table.

After less than a week, Jamie was finally allowed to come home. Much to Harry and Valerie's surprise, Jamie had chosen to stay at home for a few weeks before going back to school. Harry chose to take this as a sign that his and Valerie's relationship with Jamie was improving.

"Wait, Dad," Jamie said worriedly, just as Harry was about to apparate himself and Jamie back home.

"What's up, Jamie?" Harry asked, bending down so that he was face to face with Jamie in his wheelchair.

"Well, it's just that…," Jamie sighed. "How am I supposed to get around the house on this thing?" He gestured to his wheelchair. Which he had chosen a few days earlier.

* * *

_**February 12, 2023 (Harry's POV)**_

_Just over a month after Jamie woke up, he was finally able to start trying out wheelchairs. Harry felt quite happy that Jamie was now beginning to be able to transition back to life outside of the hospital._

"_Why don't we try this one first?" Healer Delbert suggested, gesturing to a simple manual wheelchair._

"_Alright," Jamie said, seeming enthusiastic despite the circumstances._

_Healer Delbert and Harry both carefully lifted Jamie up from his seat and placed him into the wheelchair._

"_So, how does this one feel?" Healer Delbert asked, after allowing Jamie a few minutes to practice with it._

"_It's okay," Jamie said. "A bit difficult to turn, though."_

_Over the next several minutes, Jamie was placed into a variety of different manual wheelchairs, the fourth of which was Jamie's favourite, as it had been easy for him to move around in and was comfortable on his back. It also had a headrest attached to it, which Jamie seemed to like quite a bit._

_After Jamie had tested all of the manual wheelchairs, Healer Delbert decided to have him test out an automatic one._

"_So, how does this one work?" Jamie asked, after being placed into the first automatic wheelchair._

"_Well, you just click this button, and it'll start moving forward," Healer Delbert explained. "Turning is similar to turning on the manual ones."_

"_Alright," Jamie said, before clicking the button._

"_Fuck!" Jamie exclaimed, as the wheelchair began moving forward, clearly faster than Jamie had been expecting. He quickly clicked the button again causing the wheelchair to stop. _

"_Not this one," Jamie said insistently. "Definitely not this one."_

"_Would you want to try a different automatic wheelchair?" Healer Delbert asked, clearly trying not to laugh._

"_Are they all like this?" Jamie asked, looking like he already knew the answer._

"_If you're asking if they all move on their own, then yes," Healer Delbert said._

"_I think I prefer the manual one's then, if that's alright," Jamie said._

_Healer Delbert chuckled. "Of course, Jamie," Healer Delbert said kindly. "Plenty of people choose manual wheelchairs. Especially if they prefer having a bit more control over their movement."_

_Jamie nodded._

"_I think I can guess which one you're going to choose," Harry said, and sure enough, Jamie chose the fourth wheelchair he had tried._

"_Alright, then," Healer Delbert said. "Now that we know which model wheelchair you prefer, it's time for you to personalize one that hasn't been used.."_

_Harry felt rather grateful at how fun Healer Delbert was making this experience for Jamie. He was certain that Jamie must have felt at least a bit sad at the fact that, a few months ago, he could move around easily on his own two legs, but now, he had to pick out a wheelchair that would likely end up having to be a lifelong companion. Harry couldn't help but smile at the happy look on Jamie's face as he picked out different colours and cushions, along with other customizations for his wheelchair._

"_Well, I'm just going to send this off," Healer Delbert said, gesturing to the piece of paper on which she wrote the model of wheelchair that Jamie had decided on, along with all of his chosen customizations. "And your wheelchair should arrive within the next two days."_

"_Great," Jamie said with a smile, seeming genuinely happy._

* * *

Harry smiled knowingly. "Mum and I took care of everything. Don't you worry," Harry assured.

Over the past two months that Jamie was in the hospital, Harry and Valerie had hired several people to renovate the Potter home so that Jamie would feel comfortable. This included installing a button that would turn the staircase into a wheelchair ramp, a shower chair in Jamie's bathroom, and several pull-up bars around the house.

Jamie looked at Harry confusedly, but didn't ask any further questions.

When Harry and Jamie arrived at the door of the Potter family home, Harry eagerly opened the door, excited to show Jamie all of the renovations.

Harry, along with Valerie, Kate, James, and Lily, began showing Jamie around the house, making sure not to miss a single change.

"Wow," Jamie said, seeming speechless by the end of the tour.

"Do you like it?" Valerie asked eagerly. "What was your favourite part?"

"Well, everything was great," Jamie said. "The pull-up bars are definitely useful. And the shower chair looked really nice, a lot more comfortable than the one at the hospital. And the staircase wheelchair ramp was really cool."

Harry chuckled at Jamie's excitement.

"Well, why don't we have some dinner, and then you can try out the shower chair," Harry suggested.

"Yeah, sounds great," Jamie said, looking quite happy.


	12. Chapter 12

"Al!" Jamie shouted excitedly, as his younger brother stepped through the fireplace. Al had been allowed to come home for the weekend to visit Jamie. While the Weasleys, particularly Jamie's best friend, Julia Weasley, had stated that they would attempt to take up Jamie's role in Al's life until Jamie was able to come back, Al had stated in a number of letters that, while he truly appreciated the Weasleys, they couldn't replaced his brother.

"Jamie!" Al responded, running over to give Jamie a hug, before suddenly stepping back. "I-I'm allowed to hug you, right?"

"No, Al. My wheelchair is designed to eat anyone who attempts to offer me public displays of affection," Jamie said sarcastically.

"Haha," Al remarked, rolling his eyes, before hugging Jamie tightly.

"I missed you," Al whispered.

"Aww, Al, you've gotten all soft without me there to toughen you up," Jamie said jokingly, but Harry could tell that he had missed Al just as much as Al missed him. In fact, since waking up, Jamie had asked about Al at least twice a day.

"Have you already seen the staircase ramp?" Jamie asked Al excitedly.

"No, it wasn't finished yet when I had to go back to school," Al said, looking quite excited as well. "Is it done?"

"Yeah, let me show you." Jamie immediately rolled towards the staircase, with Al following closely behind.

After about ten minutes of Al and Jamie being alone, Harry went upstairs just to make sure everything was alright. While, over the past few months, Harry had learned that Al and Jamie's relationship was not entirely the terrible, combative relationship that he had thought it was, he knew he would be lying if he said that Jamie and Al weren't prone to getting on each other's nerves.

On his way towards Jamie and Al's bedrooms, Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak from he and Valerie's room. While he wanted to check on his sons, he certainly didn't want them to think he didn't trust them.

Harry, with his invisibility cloak secured over him, walked towards Jamie's room, feeling grateful that the door was open just enough for him to peak inside.

He saw Jamie laying on his back on his bed, two pillows placed under his head, while Al lounged in the armchair in the corner.

"So, how has school been?" Jamie asked.

Al suddenly seemed quite nervous.

"Erm, alright, I guess."

Jamie raised an eyebrow, looking like he didn't believe a single word Al said.

"What?" Al asked defensively.

"Considering how things were a few months ago," Jamie stated. "I highly doubt that people have stopped picking on you just because your big brother was in the hospital."

* * *

_**October 28, 2022 (Al's POV)**_

"_Hey, squibby, I'm talking to you!" Matt Corner shouted as soon as the fourth-year Transfiguration class was dismissed. Al once again ignored the Ravenclaw, deciding that that would be the smarter option. Throughout class, Corner and a few of his friends had made snide comments about Al and had even thrown things at the back of his head a number of times while the professor was looking away._

_Since the events of last year, which he had dubbed the "Goyle incident", Al had gained quite a few enemies as Mildred was rather well-liked. While he did his best to ignore the negative comments, he couldn't help but feel hurt by them. It wasn't his fault that Mildred ended up being expelled from Hogwarts. She had made her own decision to attempt to bring Voldemort back. Al was simply tricked into helping her, not realizing her true intentions. _

_Al suddenly felt himself being dragged away and pushed against a wall. _

"_I knew you were stupid, but I didn't realize you were deaf, too, squibby," Corner chuckled, spitting in Al's face._

_Just as Al prepared himself for a punch in the face, he suddenly crashed to the floor. He looked up to see a terrified looking Corner being held up by none other than Al's older brother, Jamie._

"_What the fuck did you just say to my brother, you absolute piece of shit?" Jamie growled._

_While Jamie generally had a happy-go-lucky, carefree attitude, Al knew that the rare times that Jamie got angry, he was furious. _

"_Erm, I-I, erm…" Corner stammered nervously. "N-n-nothing."_

"_Nothing?" Jamie repeated, raising his eyebrow. "So, shoving my brother into a wall is nothing?"_

_C-come on, m-mate. You've g-got to admit, the k-kid's an idiot," Corner attempted to defend himself._

_Jamie placed Corner down. While Corner seemed relieved, Al knew from the look on Jamie's face that things were about to get much worse._

"_Jamie…" Al began warningly. While he wouldn't mind seeing Corner getting a taste of his own medicine, he didn't want Jamie to get into trouble. _

_Jamie ignored Al's warning, punching Corner so hard in the face that his nose began bleeding profusely. He continued punching Corner, sitting on top of him while repeatedly punching him. Rather than helping Corner, his friends simply stood there in fear. Given Jamie's size, Al could certainly understand why. Jamie wasn't overly muscular, but he was certainly very strong after years of playing quidditch and was well over six feet tall._

_After a few minutes, Professor McGonagall magically separated Jamie and Corner._

"_Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said sternly to a somewhat out-of-breath Jamie. "Follow me to my office. Mr. Finch-Fletchley, please take Mr. Corner to the Hospital Wing."_

_It was a few hours before Al saw Jamie again._

"_Al, you in there?" Al heard Jamie's voice from the door to the fourth-year Slytherin dorms._

"_Yeah," Al said, sitting on his bed attempting to do his Potions reading. He had to admit he felt relieved to hear Jamie's voice, fearing that he had managed to get himself suspended._

_Al heard the door creak open, but only looked up once he felt his bed dip slightly._

"_You alright?" Jamie asked lying across the foot of the bed._

"_Yeah," Al said, shrugging. "I'm fine. Are you?"_

_Jamie simply nodded. _

"_You don't look fine," Al said, noticing that Jamie looked uncharacteristically sad. He also thought Jamie's eyes looked oddly red and puffy, as though he had been crying, but he knew that he must have been seeing things as Jamie hadn't cried since they were children and he had broken his leg falling from a tree._

"_I'm fine, Al," Jamie insisted, although with less conviction than he typically would have. "Have McLaggen's friends come after you?"_

_Al shook his head. "Nope," he answered. "I reckon you scared them off."_

_Jamie nodded again. "That's good."_

"_What did McGonagall say?" Al asked gently, hoping that Jamie would open up to him. He had been completely shocked at how much Jamie had helped him since the beginning of the school year, and he hoped that he would be able to return the favour. _

"_I'm banned from Hogsmeade for the rest of the term," he said. Despite the somewhat sad tone in his voice, Al could tell that being banned from Hogsmeade wasn't the true cause of Jamie's sadness._

"_And?" Al asked._

_Jamie sighed. "And she brought Mum and Dad over to..._discuss _what happened."_

"_Oh," Al responded quietly. He knew that their parents weren't always fair to Jamie often scolding him harshly for his antics. While Al wouldn't have really cared at first, after getting to know Jamie better, he could tell that most of Jamie's antics were a bid for parental attention, which he never really got otherwise. "What did they say?"_

_Jamie shrugged. "You know, the usual," he stated simply. Al took this to mean that Mum and Dad had shouted at him without offering him a chance to explain, a fairly common occurrence at the Potter house when Jamie had been caught bickering with Al._

"_You're a good person, Jamie," Al said after a while of comfortable silence. "Even if Mum and Dad don't always see it." He knew that Jamie would likely shrug his comment off, but he hoped that at least hearing a genuine compliment from someone he was close to would lift his spirits even just a little bit._

"_Thanks, Al," Jamie chuckled._

* * *

"They've actually been a bit better," Al said. "They've mostly been ignoring me, which is nicer than before. I reckon they're all still afraid of you."

Jamie chuckled. "I wonder how they'll be when they realize I'm not that much of a threat anymore."

"Honestly, I think they'll still keep well away from me," Al said sincerely. "People like you and respect you a lot, and I don't think a wheelchair will change that." Harry had to agree with Al's statement, knowing that Jamie was quite popular even before he had made the Gryffindor quidditch team during his second year.

Jamie simply shrugged, but smiled nonetheless.

"And the nightmares?" Jamie asked.

* * *

**_August 14, 2022 (Jamie's POV)_**

_"Jamie, you awake?" Having just woken up, Jamie barely heard Al's hushed voice from the door of his room._

_"I am now," Jamie groaned, sitting up and grabbing his glasses._

_He saw a pale and shaking Al standing at the door, his eyes tearful._

_"What's wrong, mate?" Jamie asked gently, moving over to make some space for Al to lay down on his bed._

_"Nothing," Al answered sheepishly, walking over to lay down next to Jamie nonetheless._

_"Nothing, hmm," Jamie stated. "So, you've decided that it would be fun to get out of your bed at-"_

_Jamie paused to look at the clock next to his bed._

_"Two-thirty in the morning to come and share a bed with your beloved older brother."_

_Al huffed irritatedly, sitting back up and attempting to get out of the bed._

_Jamie immediately pushed him back down._

_"What's wrong, Al?" he asked, this time with a more serious tone._

_"Nightmare," Al mumbled nearly inaudibly._

_Jamie couldn't help but wonder why Al had decided to come to him rather than going to their parents._

_"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently._

_Al shook his head, trying to seem nonchalant but unable to hide the fact that his lip was trembling and his eyes were beginning to tear up again._

_Jamie gently pulled Al close to his chest._

_Al immediately began sobbing._

_"I-I'm s-s-sorry," he stammered into Jamie's chest, his body shaking with sobs._

_"Shhh, it's alright," Jamie assured him. "You have absolutely nothing to apologize for."_

_Al continued clinging to Jamie until he finally fell asleep._

* * *

Al's face fell slightly. "They've gotten a bit better, mostly because I've been too worried about you to even think about last year," Al stated. "Julia's been giving me the Gryffindor tower password in case I wanted to sleep in the common room, but I've only used it twice."

"That's good," Jamie said with a small smile.

"How've Mum and Dad been treating you?" Al asked, in a noticeably quieter voice.

Harry instinctively leaned closer to the room, not wanting to miss a word of Jamie's response.

"They've actually been really nice," Jamie said, sounding pleasantly surprised. "A bit overattentive, but nice." Harry smiled in spite of himself. He felt happy that Jamie seemed to notice how hard he and Valerie had been working to make up for how they had treated him before.

"I'm sure it'll wear off soon, though," Jamie said sadly. The joyful feeling Harry had had for the last few seconds immediately vanished.

"What do you mean?" Al asked as though reading Harry's mind.

Jamie shrugged, clearly attempting to seem nonchalant. "Oh, you know, once they get used to me being in a wheelchair, they'll remember I'm the same old Jamie, always causing trouble."

"At least, they'll be less clingy," Jamie said in a seemingly more cheerful voice.

"I don't think they'll go back to how they were before," Al said quietly after a few moments.

Jamie raised his eyebrow as though asking Al why he thought this.

Al seemed to understand the nonverbal message.

"Well, from what I've heard and seen, they were rather upset after you got hurt."

"Really?" Jamie asked, seeming surprised. Harry felt quite hurt that Jamie seemed unable to believe that his own parents would care that he had gotten severely injured.

"Yeah," Al stated. "Mum kept walking around the house finding random objects that she was convinced you needed and she kept cleaning your room and making your bed. And Dad could hardly get out of bed the entire Christmas holidays and when he eventually did he looked awful."

"Oh," Jamie said, looking quite concerned.

"That's nothing compared to how they were in your hospital room, though," Al remarked. "Mum was always buzzing around you trying to help you or make you comfortable, while Dad kind of just sat next to your bed holding your hand and whispering to you."

"Dad refused to leave your room the first few days you were awake. He said that he needed to be with you because it was him you kept asking for." Al added. "We all tried telling him that you were delirious and didn't really know what was going on, but he insisted."

"Wow," Jamie said simply.

Al chuckled. "Yeah, I think you almost dying was a bit of a wake-up call for them."

Jamie nodded. "That makes sense," he said, looking as though he was still attempting to register what he had just heard. "When I was a bit more aware, both Mum and Dad sat alone with me separately and apologized for not spending time with me. I thought it was a bit out of the blue, but I guess it makes sense if they were scared they'd never get the chance to."

After a few more minutes of listening, Harry left, feeling quite certain that his sons wouldn't suddenly start fighting.

"Are the boys alright?" asked Valerie, who was lying on the couch in the family room, reading a book.

"Yes, they're fine," Harry said, sitting down before telling Valerie what he had overheard.

The rest of the weekend had gone by quite well, with both Harry and Valerie making even more of an effort to prove to Jamie that their change in attitude was not temporary. Soon, it was time for both Al and Jamie to return to school.

"Are you certain you're ready to go back?" Valerie asked for what felt like the hundredth time. She had decided to come home for her hour-long lunch break before going back to the magical primary school where she taught. "There wouldn't be any harm in staying just a bit longer."

A few days ago, Jamie had announced to his parents that, after two weeks at home, he was ready to go back to school.

"Yes, I'm sure, Mum," Jamie assured her, as he stood in front of the fireplace in the living room of the Potter home, prepared to floo to Professor McGonagall's office at Hogwarts. Al had already flooed back a few minutes earlier.

"I feel absolutely fine. There's no reason for me to miss any more school than I already have. And Professor McGonagall said that St. Mungo's healers will be in the Hospital Wing every three days for check ups and P.T. sessions. I'll be fine, Mum, honestly."

"Alright," Valerie sighed reluctantly. "I've just missed you."

"I know, Mum," Jamie said gently. "But it's only a few weeks until Easter, and I promise I'll write you every few days."

"Alright, dear," Valerie said, kissing Jamie on the cheek. "Have a good term."

"All ready to go?" Harry asked. As Jamie couldn't floo while on his wheelchair, it was decided that Harry would floo with Jamie, who would be propped up against him, his wheelchair and trunk shrunken and placed in his pocket.

"Yeah," Jamie said, pulling himself up using the bars placed next to the fireplace.

Harry shrunk Jamie's suitcase and trunk and placed them in his pocket before carefully maneuvering himself and Jamie into the fireplace.

"Bye, Mum. Bye, Kate," Jamie greeted.

"See you at Easter," Valerie greeted.

"Bye, Jamie!" Kate greeted happily.

Soon both Harry and Jamie arrived at Professor McGonagall's office.

"Good afternoon," Professor McGonagall greeted. "James, you have been excused from your classes for the rest of the week while we figure out how to catch you up on what you've missed. You are free to go to your common room."

Jamie nodded, rolling towards the office door, his shrunken trunk in his pocket.

Professor McGonagall offered Jamie a small smile. "It's good to have you back, James."

"Thank you, Professor," Jamie said, just as he was leaving the room. "See you later, Dad."

Once Jamie left, Harry made his way back to the fireplace.

"Not so fast, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said, smiling slightly. "Professor Snape would like a word."

"Oh," Harry said, feeling rather surprised. "Where is she?"

"She's in her classroom with the seven-year N.E.W.T.s students," Professor McGonagall said. "But she told me to send you directly over to her once you've dropped Jamie off. Although, I would probably knock before entering."

"Alright. Thanks, Professor," Harry said before leaving through the same door Jamie did just moments ago.

As he walked towards the Potions classroom, he couldn't help but feel overcome with memories of the very first place that he truly considered home.

"Oh, hi, Uncle Harry!" a familiar voice called as Harry was about halfway to the dungeons where the Potions classroom was located. He turned to see Tessa smiling brightly and waving at him.

"Hi, Tessa," Harry greeted. "What are you doing here?" As Tessa was twenty-four and didn't work at Hogwarts, he couldn't understand what she was doing there.

"Helping the 'puffs with their quidditch," she answered simply.

Harry wasn't too surprised by her answer. Despite her parents being a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, Tessa was sorted into Hufflepuff and was often asked by the Hufflepuff quidditch team to do training sessions with the team.

"Oh," Harry said. "How did that go?"

"It went pretty well," Tessa said. "The beaters need to work on their aim a bit, though. I got hit quite a few times."

"Ouch," Harry commented, after Tessa showed him her very bruised left arm. "Are you headed to Pomfrey?"

"I already did," she said. "But I wasn't the only one that got hit, and she didn't have any bruise paste left, so she told me to see if Severus has any."

"I'm heading there as well," Harry stated.

"Great, we can go there together," Tessa said. "I mean this in the nicest way possible, but she's kind of terrifying."

Harry laughed in agreement.

After a fairly long walk, Harry and Tessa were finally outside the Potions classroom.

"Professor?" Harry called, knocking on the door.

"Come in," Severus replied, sounding somewhat distracted.

When Harry and Tessa entered the classroom, they were met with an odd sight. A potion, or possibly even a few potions, had been spilt on the floor and potions ingredients were scattered everywhere.

"What happened here?" Harry asked looking around, while Tessa leaned against one of the few tables that remained standing.

"Don't!" Severus shouted, running towards them as the table Tessa was leaning against fell, causing the cauldron on top of it to go flying into the air.


	13. Chapter 13

"Fantastic," Severus muttered sarcastically, hurrying over to the bundle of clothes that she knew were covering two infants.

Not too long ago, less than halfway through the class with the seventh-year N.E.W.T-level Potions students, she had realized that she had run out of newt spleens for the ageing potions that the seventh-years were working on. As the potions needed to sit for about half an hour, Severus had asked Florence, who didn't have a class to teach that afternoon, and Teddy, who was taking a break as the Hospital Wing was empty, to watch the class for a few minutes while she hurried over to Diagon Alley to pick up the ingredients.

* * *

_**March 6, 2023 (Severus' POV)**_

_Severus checked her watch just before pulling open the door to her classroom and was happy to find that the trip to Diagon Alley had only taken eight minutes. She had been quite nervous throughout the trip as, in the rush to obtain the ingredients in time, she had forgotten to check the potions to make sure that they were correct so far, and while she trusted both Florence and Teddy to ensure that the students were behaving, she knew that neither of them were potions experts and likely wouldn't know if something was wrong._

_As Severus opened the door, she knew something was wrong. The contents of at least one unfinished potion were spilled on the floor, two tables were flipped over, and the students were staring panickedly at a pile of robes._

"_What happened here?" Severus asked, pinching the bridge of her nose, trying her best to remain calm._

_After a few minutes of tense silence, Louis Weasley spoke up._

"_W-well, Professor, we were all letting the potions sit for half an hour like you told us to," he explained nervously. "And, suddenly, less than a minute ago, one of the potions exploded."_

_Severus looked around and saw that Louis' cauldron remained on his table and was unharmed, proving to her what she had already known, that despite Louis being the only one brave enough to speak up, his potion had not been the culprit. She had to commend Louis' loyalty to his classmates as he had not even given a hint as to whose potion it was._

"_And where are Professor Prince and Mr. Tonks-Lupin, Mr. Weasley?" she asked, looking to Louis, as the others were still standing around gaping nonsensically. _

"_The potion made an odd shrieking sound a little bit before it exploded, and Professor Prince noticed it first," Louis explained. "She walked Mr. Tonks-Lupin over to the cauldron so that he could look at it, and almost immediately he told everyone to run to the front of the classroom. All of the students were out of the way in time, but Professor Prince and Mr. Tonks-Lupin weren't, and the potion exploded on them."_

_Severus sighed and shook her head, feeling rather frustrated at the unexpected turn of events._

"_Thank you, Mr. Weasley," she stated. "And twenty points to Ravenclaw for being the only student here with any amount of sense. Class is dismissed."_

_The students all quickly fled the room._

_Severus sighed as she walked over to the pile of robes. She lifted the robes to find two naked sleeping infants, one tiny with a tuft of shining black hair and the other quite a bit bigger with a tuft of mousy brown hair._

_She transfigured two nappies and two blankets from random objects in the room and proceeded to dress and wrap the babies. She then transfigured a cot from one of the broken tables before carefully picking up the two babies and placing them both in the cot. _

_After placing Florence and Teddy's clothing and other items into a bag, Severus took the cot to her office and quickly flooed Minerva. _

"_Hello, Minerva," she called somewhat nervously into the headmistress's office. _

"_Hello, Severus," Minerva greeted, kneeling down at the fireplace. "Is everything alright?"_

_Severus went on to explain the events of the last several minutes._

"_Oh, that's certainly troubling," Minerva stated, looking quite concerned. "Are you able to come up with an antidote?"_

"_Yes," Severus answered. "But it will take about an hour to make, and Florence and Teddy would age only a year each day until they reach seventeen. The day after they turn seventeen, they should return to their true ages. So it should take just over two weeks."_

_Minerva nodded in understanding. "Poppy should be able to handle the Hospital Wing on her own for two weeks, we'll just need someone to cover Florence's classes, and, seeing as Florence always plans out her classes weeks in advance, it shouldn't be too difficult to find someone," she stated calmly. "In the meantime, who do you feel we should contact regarding Florence and Teddy's state?"_

"_Harry," Severus stated immediately, as, despite her love of Sirius and her growing trust in Remus and Nymphadora, Harry was the only person that she fully trusted would handle the situation with a clear, levelheaded approach._

"_Alright," Minerva agreed. "I will let him know you need to speak with him when he drops his son off later today."_

* * *

Severus sighed as she repeated her previous actions with Florence and Teddy for the two new babies. As she brewed the antidote, she tried desperately to think of someone to call who would be willing and able to take care of four infants.

Severus felt that the best option would be someone who knew all four individuals quite well. Tessa and Teddy would be easier to find someone for as there were plenty of people who had watched the two grow up. Harry and Florence, however, would prove much more difficult. While Sirius, Remus and Tonks, and James and Lily all knew Harry well as a baby, none of them had really been there to watch him grow up, nor had any of them truly known the other three children. Any of the Weasleys that she had taught a number of years ago now would be willing to look after the babies, but Severus knew that many of them had children of their own who weren't yet old enough to attend Hogwarts.

It was then that Severus realized the perfect person to look after the four babies, Molly Weasley. She had had a strong presence in all four individuals' lives and had played a major role in raising Teddy and Tessa. While Molly had a tendency to be a bit overprotective, Severus felt that this would be the perfect environment for the four babies as they would be ageing a year and a day every night and needed to be monitored constantly to ensure that nothing went awry.

As Severus allowed the potion to sit for fifteen more minutes, one of the babies began crying. She quickly rushed over hoping to soothe the child before the others woke up. She gently scooped the seven-month-old Harry Potter up into her arms. After checking his nappy and attempting to feed him a bottle, she realized that the small child simply wanted to be held.

"I should've known you adored attention even at this age," Severus muttered, smirking at the infant, who having stopped crying, simply stared at her. She wondered if, even at the young age of seven months, Harry knew the precarious situation he had been born into.

As Severus looked down at the small child, she couldn't help but think he looked rather adorable with his over-large bright green eyes, no scar on his forehead at this point. She had to admit that, at this age, Harry resembled Lily almost entirely.

Severus sighed, before addressing the baby once more. "If you insist on being held, I must warn you that I will continue brewing my potion and will not pay you a moment's notice the entire time."

The baby simply blinked up at her in response.

"Well, it's time for me to add the newt spleens," Severus stated, unsure as to why she was speaking to a baby. "Not that you would know that. I doubt that you knew that as an adult."

Throughout finishing the potion, she spoke to the infant who, despite remaining awake, did not cry or fuss even once.

"Now, it's time to get you all to the Weasleys and out of my hair," Severus said, feeding Harry the first dose of the antidote, which Severus had mixed into some baby formula. Once Harry finally fell asleep, Severus moved onto the other children. She gently woke Tessa up, fed her the potion and baby formula mixture, and waited until she fell back asleep before repeating the same actions for Teddy and Florence. Severus held onto Florence quite a bit longer than the other babies, smiling as she thought back to the first time she held her.

* * *

_**November 6, 1996 (Severus' POV)**_

_At no point in her life had Severus ever felt the desire to become a mother, and, while she was certain that she would ensure that she wouldn't have any more children, she couldn't help but feel a hint of joy and excitement when the healers told her that her baby was finally healthy and strong enough to be held. Had Severus' pregnancy gone normally, Florence would still not have been born yet. Instead, due to a combination of stress and other complications, Florence was born nearly a month ago, only 27 weeks into Severus' pregnancy. _

_After a month of spending nearly every moment that she was not teaching a class watching her tiny baby in a glass box which contained a variety of enchantments which controlled her breathing, temperature, heart rate, and nutrition, among other things, Severus could finally hold Florence in her arms. _

_The moment she had gotten the news, she contacted Dumbledore, the only one who knew that she was pregnant, and he allowed her time off for the rest of the year so that she could remain in the hospital with her child. While he had offered her time off in October when Florence was born, Severus had declined stating that teaching had helped take her mind off her tiny baby for a little while._

_While various healing spells allowed Florence to progress much quicker than if she had been in a muggle hospital, the process still took quite a while. Now that Florence was breathing on her own and her temperature and heart rate were much more stable, the Healers recommended that Severus practice skin-to-skin with her as often as possible. _

"_Ms. Prince, you may take Florence out of her cot and hold her as soon as you feel ready," one of the mediwitches stated kindly. Severus had opted to use her mother's maiden name as only a very select group of people, none of whom were part of Voldemort's circle, knew it._

_Severus nodded sharply, feeling oddly nervous. After several seconds, she carefully lifted the fragile, sleeping baby, who was dressed in only a nappy, into her arms, remembering to be especially cautious with her head as the healers had instructed her. While Florence appeared much too small in Severus' arms, her head and neck fitting easily in the palm of Severus' hand, she was much bigger than she had been when she was born. When Florence was born she had only been 22 centimeters long, but now she was 36 centimeters long. _

_After a few minutes, the baby stirred and slowly blinked up at Severus, who stared at the child unsure of what to do._

"_Are her eyes alright?" Severus quietly asked the mediwitch, noticing that the simple act of opening her eyes seemed to bring Florence pain and that once she did open her eyes, they looked entirely crossed and one of the pupils had a white shine to it._

_The mediwitch sighed sympathetically. "There's been some abnormal blood vessel development in both of her eyes," she explained. "Time will tell if it will correct itself or if it will be more long-term, but most premature babies with this particular issue don't have any complications later."_

_Severus nodded in understanding, hoping that Florence's eyes would correct themselves as she grew. _

"_I'll just let you spend some time with her," the mediwitch said happily before dimming the lights and leaving the room._

_Severus sat down in the warm, comfortable reclining chair next to Florence's cot, unbuttoned her top, and laid Florence down onto her chest, just as she had been instructed to. She wasn't certain how long she had been sitting there holding Florence, who had quickly fallen back asleep, but she noticed that the baby's temperature was now comfortably warm and her heart rate no longer as frighteningly fast._

_After a while of comfortably holding Florence against her chest and watching her sleep, Severus felt Florence stirring once again._

"_Are you alright, Florence?" Severus asked gently in a voice that she hardly recognized as her own. The baby began softly crying, and Severus felt rather overwhelmed not having the slightest clue how to comfort her child._

_Before Severus grew too panicked the mediwitch came in._

"_Is everything alright, Ms. Prince?" she asked quietly, closing the door behind her._

"_I'm not sure," Severus said, trying to remain calm as she explained what had happened._

_The mediwitch quickly used a spell to check Florence's vitals, reading the small document that she had conjured before smiling slightly._

"_She's just a bit hungry," she stated calmly. "We'll still need to spell feed her, but you can hold her while we do it, if you'd like."_

"_Alright," Severus agreed nervously, eager to continue holding her child, but unsure of what to do and completely uncomfortable with her own lack of knowledge._

_The mediwitch appeared to pick up on Severus' nervousness, as she smiled gently, adjusting the reclining chair before placing Florence in Severus' arms._

"_Just hold her head like this." The mediwitch adjusted Severus' hold._

_As Severus held Florence, who was now whimpering, the mediwitch placed the tip of her wand of Florence's stomach and whispered the feeding spell. After a few minutes, Florence calmed down and fell asleep._

"_There we are," the mediwitch said happily. "You're completely welcome to take a skin-to-skin nap with Florence. She has a number of protective spells over her, and skin-to-skin should help regulate her temperature which is her primary issue right now."_

_Severus nodded, feeling nervous about sleeping with a baby on her chest, but wanting to do whatever she could to help Florence._

"_Wonderful," the mediwitch said enthusiastically. "Your mummy-baby nap room is over here." She gestured to a dark room with a large bed in the center. Severus could tell that there were a number of enchantments placed around the bed. _

"_There is an attaching bathroom as well," the mediwitch added, with a small smile._

"_Thank you," Severus stated curtly, walking over to the room with Florence in her arms._

"_You are very welcome," the mediwitch said kindly. "I'll just leave you both to it. Just give me a call if you need anything."_

* * *

Severus smiled down at her now four-month-old daughter. At this point, Florence had already been out of the hospital for two months with no complications. Her eyes had even gotten better at this point. Severus had learned from Florence, however, that, at around the age of five, her eyes had begun showing problems once again, causing her to completely lose her vision at the age of eight.

After a surprisingly short amount of time, Molly responded to Severus' letter, enthusiastically stating that Harry, Tessa, Florence, and Teddy would certainly be welcome to stay at the Burrow over the next two weeks and that she and Arthur would be more than willing to take care of them until they were adults once again.

After placing the four infants into a large pram transfigured from one of the cots and packing their belongings into three different bags, as Florence and Teddy lived together and wouldn't need their belongings separated, Severus made her way to the Burrow, taking the Hogwarts Express to King's Cross station where she was met with a Ministry official sent to take her and the children to the Burrow.

"Hello, Severus," Molly greeted happily, quickly ushering Severus and the infants inside. "Come in, come in."

"Does anyone else know?" Molly asked, placing a cup of tea across from Severus, who sat down on the couch in the sitting room.

"Just Minerva, you, and I, at the moment," Severus stated. "I don't see a problem with others knowing, but I feel it would be best if the four of them remain here until they return to their normal states."

"Of course," Molly stated, nodding in understanding.

"I wasn't certain if your grandchildren would be able to share some of their clothing with these four as they grow," Severus explained. "If not, we will need to get them some clothes."

Molly nodded. "I'm not certain if we have any baby or toddler clothes that would fit them. Florence might be able to fit in Olivia or Clara's clothes, she's about their size, but Teddy, Tessa, and Harry are much bigger."

This made sense to Severus as Florence was both premature and a bit younger than Teddy, Harry, and Tessa, who were six months, seven months, and ten months, respectively.

"We can always buy new clothes for them when their ages or sizes don't match anyone else's here," Molly offered, explaining that while she had a grandchild that would likely be able to lend clothing between the ages of seven and eighteen, the second youngest behind the quadruplets, who were two months old, was Draco and Ginny's daughter Violet, who was seven.

Severus nodded in agreement.

By sunset, two rooms were set up with everything the four individuals would need over the next two weeks, including beds, dressers filled with one simple outfit in each size between the current size of the four and their adult sizes. Molly had also invited James, Lily, Remus, Nymphadora, Fred, Ava, and Sirius over to explain what had happened.

Fred and Ava were the first to arrive.

"Hi, Mum!" Fred greeted happily, bounding through the door.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley," Ava greeted from behind Fred.

"Hello, dears," Molly said with an almost tearful smile. Prior to getting to know Florence better, Severus likely would've mocked Molly for her open display of emotions. However, now Severus felt quite amazed at how well she was handling everything. Ignoring the occasional tearful outburst, Molly was mostly the same as she had always been. Severus felt certain that had she been through what Molly had been through, having to bury her child, she would not have been able to handle it as well.

"I'll go get Tessa," Severus stated, barely containing a small smile.

As she walked away she overheard both Fred and Ava asking what Severus had meant.

Severus carefully opened the room which held the two girls. Florence was thankfully still asleep, while it appeared that Tessa had just woken up and was attempting to make sense of her surroundings.

"Hello," Severus said awkwardly, as the child blinked up at her. She noticed that Tessa was a perfect mix of Fred and Ava, with Fred's curly red hair and freckles and Ava's deep blue eyes.

She reached down and picked the ten-month-old up, walking the child downstairs to her parents.

Upon seeing Tessa both Fred and Ava gasped.

"Is that really her?" Fred squealed.

"Yes, Fred," Molly answered tearfully, clearly overjoyed at Fred's excitement.

"Can I hold her?" Ava asked.

"Of course," Severus said, placing Tessa into Ava's arms. She felt grateful to no longer have to hold the child. While she loved holding Florence, she had absolutely no desire to hold any other children.

"Hi, baby girl," Ava whispered happily, as Fred pulled odd faces at Tessa causing her to laugh.

Tessa babbled at her parents, who both practically squealed in delight.

After explaining the full situation to them, Severus and Molly allowed Fred and Ava to spend some alone time with Tessa, as they hadn't had the chance to see her at this age.

Not long after Fred and Ava, the others arrived.

As Remus and Nymphadora had been around Teddy until he was nearly two years old, they had recognized their baby immediately. James and Lily were in a similar situation, as Harry, too, had been nearly two years old when his parents were murdered by Voldemort. Sirius, however, had never seen Florence as a baby, as he had died several months before she was born.

"She's so tiny," Sirius said, staring intently at the sleeping baby in Severus' arms.

"I know," Severus said with a small smirk. "Would you like to hold her?"

While Severus was extremely protective of Florence and felt highly uncomfortable with anyone even standing near her, she trusted Sirius and could tell that he would be a good parent based on how well he had taken the news that he had a child and how well he had interacted with adult Florence. Severus did know, however, that Sirius was very nervous about having a child of his own, as he had convinced himself that he wasn't fit to be a parent given the bad example that his own parents were. Initially, Severus had agreed with him, believing that she too would be a terrible mother. However, after raising Florence for a year, she couldn't imagine behaving as her own parents did.

Unsurprisingly, Sirius looked completely taken aback. "I-I don't know,...erm...I'm just… not exactly used to babies."

"You were great with Harry," James stated, finally turning his attention away from Harry who was repeatedly babbling "mama".

"But this is different," Sirius argued. "This is _my _baby. Blimey, I can't believe I have a baby. I'm a father. I don't know how to be a father."

"Do you think I did?" James chuckled. "I was twenty years old when Harry was born."

"But your parents were brilliant," Sirius argued once again, looking increasingly nervous. "My parents were horrible. I barely know Florence, but all I want is for her to have a good life, and I don't know the first thing about how to take care of her."

"You're a good person, Sirius," Lily assured him. "You will do your best."

"And if you mess up, Florence won't remember it two weeks from now when she's back to normal," Nymphadora added, lightheartedly.

"I suppose you're right," Sirius said skeptically.

"Why don't you try holding her?" Molly insisted. "It might ease some of your nerves."

"Alright," Sirius reluctantly agreed.

Severus carefully placed Florence into Sirius' arms.

"Hi, little Florence," Sirius whispered, beginning to tear up. "You're so beautiful and so so loved."


	14. Chapter 14

**_A/N: Hi, everyone! This chapter will be from Molly Weasley's point of view. The story will return to Harry's point of view when Harry is eleven and will remain in his point of view until the end. I have also started a poll on my profile about potential future stories. Please vote. Thanks for all of the kind reviews so far. Stay safe and please review! - B_**

* * *

Barely a minute after waking up, Molly hurried over to the two rooms which held Harry, Teddy, Tessa, and Florence. Severus had explained to Molly that the four individuals would each be a year and a day older than they had been the night before, making them all around a year and a half old. Given that Tessa had become quite active from the moment she had started walking, Molly felt that it would be best for everyone if she caught Tessa before the toddler really got going.

* * *

_**March 7, 2000 (Molly's POV)**_

"_Tessa, what are you doing up there?" Molly asked firmly. She had taken her eyes off of the nearly-two-year-old for barely a minute and had soon found her atop a high cupboard in the kitchen. A few days ago, George had asked her and Arthur to watch Tessa and Freddie that Saturday as Valentine's Day weekend was a particularly busy one at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the store that George and his late twin brother, Fred, had started about four years ago._

"_I climb, ga-ma!" Tessa squealed excitedly._

_Molly sighed and shook her head before using Wingardium Leviosa to carefully levitate the child and bring her down into her arms. _

"_You are so like your father," Molly chuckled at the precocious child, placing her back onto the ground. _

_As Tessa excitedly toddled off, Molly felt herself tearing up as she thought of Fred when he was around Tessa's age. Although it had already been nearly two years since Fred had died, the thought of never being able to see his smile or hear his laughter ever again still hurt just as badly as when she had first seen his body lying cold and limp on the floor of the Great Hall._

"_Ga-ma sad?" Tessa asked, tilting her head almost exactly as Fred had several years ago after Molly's brothers, Fabian and Gideon, had been killed._

_Molly chuckled and quickly dried her tears. "Grandma loves you very much, Tessa," she said, reaching down to give the toddler a hug._

"_I wuv you, too, ga-ma," Tessa responded, holding Molly tightly before kissing her on the cheek._

"_Why don't we play outside, sweetheart?" Molly offered, knowing that Tessa needed to burn off some more energy so that she could be tired enough for her afternoon nap._

"_Ousside! Ousside!" Tessa chanted happily, running to put on her boots._

_Molly smiled, watching as the little girl pulled on her boots and attempted to put on her coat, as it was a bit chilly outside._

_After calling Freddie from the other room and asking if he wanted to play outside, which he unsurprisingly did, Molly opened the door allowing the children to play as she watched them._

_Tessa excitedly ran around the garden, jumping in every puddle she saw and there were many of them as it had been raining the night before. Freddie, being a bit older than Tessa, wasn't as wild but still seemed happy to play outside. Typically, Freddie and Tessa would fly their toddler broomsticks around the yard, however, Molly didn't feel too comfortable letting them fly around today as it was quite windy._

_It only took Tessa fifteen minutes to be drenched in mud and rainwater. Freddie was also rather dirty, however, significantly less so than Tessa whose face was also covered in mud._

"_It's cold, Grandma," Freddie told Molly somewhat shyly. "Could I go back inside, please?"_

"_Of course, darling," Molly said gently. As Freddie had only been in the family for a few months and hadn't been in a loving environment before, he was still a bit shy around everyone other than George and Tessa. Despite Freddie's timidness, Molly did her best to make him feel welcome and loved, just as she did with her other grandchildren. "Just wait in the bathroom while I get Tessa, so I can give you both a bath."_

"_Alright, Grandma," Freddie said, walking inside. _

_It took Molly five full minutes to catch Tessa and bring her inside, ultimately having to bribe her with colour-changing bath bubbles._

"_Bubbles! Bubbles! Bubbles!" Tessa chanted, marching to the bathroom._

* * *

Much to Molly's surprise, Tessa was still asleep, while Florence was wide awake, staring confusedly up at her.

"Hello, dear," Molly said, walking over to the child. While, the day before, Florence had looked about half the size of a normal four-month-old, she now looked about the same size as Tessa had at eighteen months.

"You grew rather fast, didn't you?" Molly smiled at the child in her arms, who continued staring at her. She had to admit that, while no one could argue that Florence was Sirius' child, the tiny glare that she held screamed Severus.

"Why don't we get some breakfast?" Molly said, as she walked with the toddler downstairs.

Just as Molly placed Florence into a highchair, a soft cry came from upstairs.

"I'll take care of Florence," Arthur offered, looking very much as though he had just woken up.

"Thank you, dear," Molly said, giving her husband a quick kiss on the cheek before hurrying upstairs.

"Oh, hello, Harry," she sighed, her heart breaking as she looked at the toddler who had been crying for his mother. At this age, Harry's scar took up most of his forehead and was clearly still healing.

"Mama! Mama!" Harry sobbed, tears streaming down his face.

"Shhh, it's alright, dear," Molly assured, gently rocking the child in her arms. "Your mummy and daddy will be here very soon."

Harry continued sobbing and screaming for his mother, looking utterly miserable.

After a few more minutes of attempting to calm the upset toddler, Molly picked up a dummy from the bedside table and placed it into Harry's mouth, and after a few seconds of sniffling, he finally began to calm down a bit.

Noticing that Teddy was beginning to stir, Molly quickly ran Harry downstairs and placed him in his highchair. Luckily for Molly, James and Lily, followed closely by Remus and Tonks, had chosen that moment to arrive through the fireplace, as Harry had once again begun crying the moment that Molly had placed him down.

"Good morning, Molly, Arthur," Lily greeted cheerfully before rushing over to her toddler.

"Oh, sweetheart, don't cry," she said soothingly.

"MAMA! MAMA!" Harry sobbed frantically, reaching his arms up and kicking his legs as his mother picked him up.

As Lily and James comforted their panicked toddler and Arthur continued struggling to feed Florence who stubbornly kept her mouth tightly shut while glaring harshly at him, Molly rushed upstairs to check on Teddy.

"Good morning, Teddy," she whispered gently to Teddy who had just sat up and was rubbing his eyes. Unlike Harry, Teddy simply looked up at Molly in confusion, however, unlike Florence, his eyes were filled with curiosity rather than mistrust. His eye colour and hair colour subconsciously changed to match Molly's, as typically happened when Teddy was a toddler.

Looking into the girls' bedroom and noticing that Tessa was now sitting up, Molly hurried downstairs and handed Teddy to Remus, who hardly had time to thank her before she was once again back upstairs.

She entered the girls' bedroom just in time to find Tessa climbing out of her cot.

"Careful, Tessa," Molly said, helping the small child onto the ground.

"Tank 'oo, ga-ma," Tessa said with a sweet, dimpled smile, a smile that remained as Tessa grew older and was often a sign of mischievous activity.

"You're welcome, dear," Molly said, reaching down to pick Tessa up.

"No, tank 'oo, ga-ma," Tessa insisted, pushing Molly's hands away. "Want walk. Me big girl."

Molly chuckled to herself. "Alright, dear," she said, feeling increasingly excited for Fred and Ava to get to know Tessa as a toddler. "But you need to hold my hand when we walk down the stairs."

Tessa nodded.

By the time Molly and Tessa arrived downstairs, Fred and Ava had already arrived and had brought breakfast.

"Hi, Mum," Fred greeted happily. "Ava and I figured you and Dad had your hands full with the little ones, so we brought breakfast."

"That's very thoughtful of you, dears," Molly said, giving both Fred and Ava kisses on their cheeks.

"Unca Joj!" Tessa squealed excitedly, reaching her hands up at Fred. For the first time Molly could recall, Fred appeared disappointed to be an identical twin.

"I'm not Uncle George, darling," he said gently to Tessa. "I'm your dad."

Tessa tilted her head in confusion. "Unca Joj," she repeated insistently, as though trying to convince Fred that he was wrong.

"Perhaps, we should bring George here," Arthur suggested gently.

"That's a great idea," Molly agreed. "Although, I must admit, this is what Fred deserves for all of his 'I'm not Fred, I'm George' jokes."

Fred simply pouted in response.

Molly hurried over to the fireplace to call George and Luna, who were likely at home with their children. From the time Luna was seven months pregnant, George had left the store in the hands of Susan and Nancy, who, despite being arguably even more mischievous than Fred and George, both had a strong sense of responsibility and had certainly proven themselves more than capable of managing the business.

"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley!" Luna greeted cheerfully, looking much more awake than she had since the babies were born.

"Hello, Luna," Molly greeted. "How are the babies?"

"They're wonderful," Luna responded. "They're finally sleeping through the night, so George and I have finally managed to get some sleep. How are Harry, Tessa, Teddy, and Florence?"

"They're just fine. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you and George about," Molly said. "Is it possible for George to come over here? Tessa's about twenty-two months old, and she firmly believes that Fred is George."

Luna laughed. "Well, they do look quite similar," she said. "I'll just go get George."

"Hi, Mum," George greeted after a few minutes, still in pajamas, looking very much like he had just woken up.

"Hi, Georgie," Molly said. "Sorry if I woke you up, dear, but you're very much needed here. Tessa is convinced that Fred is you. And, as much as Fred tries to hide it, I'm quite certain he's a bit upset about it."

George looked somewhat saddened hearing this. "Of course, I'll come over. Just give me a few minutes."

As he had stated he would, George, now dressed and his hair brushed, appeared through the Burrow's fireplace after a few minutes.

"Hi, Mum," he greeted, hugging Molly.

"Hello, dear," Molly said, leading George to where Fred, Ava, and Tessa were. "We're all in the kitchen."

"Unca Joj?" Tessa said almost immediately after George entered the room. The confused toddler was looking back and forth from Fred to George.

"Hi, Tess-a-bess," George said quickly, scooping the toddler up into his arms.

"Two Unca Joj?" Tessa said, this time pointing to Fred while looking at George.

"No, Tess, _I'm _Uncle George," George said, chuckling slightly before pointing at Fred. "That's your _dad_."

"Dad?" Tessa repeated, looking confused.

"I don't think she's old enough to understand, mate," Fred said dejectedly, looking uncharacteristically sad. Having not had many opportunities to comfort Fred, as he had lived a short but mostly happy life, Molly felt a strong urge to run over and comfort him.

"You understand, don't you, Tess?" George said, pulling a photograph out of his pocket and handing it to Tessa. "Remember who these people are?"

Tessa studied the picture for a few seconds before excitedly saying, "Mummy and Daddy!"

"Very good, Tess," George said, enthusiastically. "Now, do you know who _these_ people are?"

George stood beside Fred and Ava, who looked eagerly at Tessa who gasped.

"Mummy and Daddy!"

The excited toddler ran over to her parents, hugging their legs tightly with a bright smile on her face.

"There you go," George said, standing up. "Problem solved."

"We might need you to repeat that everyday until she's old enough to understand on her own," Molly said, hugging George goodbye.

"No problem, Mum," George said, pulling something out of his pocket. "Oh, and Tessa might start looking for this soon."

He unshrunk the toddler-sized broomstick that Angelina had bought Tessa for her first birthday and handed it to Molly.

"You did warn them about her energy level right?" George asked with a knowing smirk.

"I'm sure they'll find out soon enough," Molly said mischievously, causing George to laugh.

Sure enough, not even five minutes after dinner, Tessa was running excitedly around the house.

"I find it's usually best to let her play outside after meals," Molly suggested, handing Fred Tessa's toy broomstick.

"Is this just a phase?" Ava asked hopefully, looking slightly overwhelmed.

Molly and Arthur simply laughed in response.

As Fred, Ava, and Tessa were happily playing outside, shortly followed by Remus, Tonks, and Teddy, James suggested that he, Lily, and Harry play outside as well.

Harry had eaten his breakfast before halfheartedly playing with some toys that Molly had left out for the children. Molly noticed that the entire time Harry was playing, he clung to Lily's skirt, clearly terrified that she would leave him again.

"Harry, do you want to play outside?" Lily asked her son gently, standing up.

Much to everyone's shock, Harry immediately dropped the toy niffler he was playing with and frantically clung to his mother, once again sobbing "Mama! Mama!"

"Shhh, darling," Lily said gently, picking the frantic child up, looking rather concerned. "Everything's alright. Mummy's here."

"Maybe we should go for a walk around the garden," James suggested, looking worried about his son. "Walks usually calmed him down when he was fussy. Of course, he's never been this upset, but perhaps it could help."

Lily nodded, continuing to comfort her child.

"Do you want me to get you a pram?" Molly asked.

"No, thank you, Molly," Lily said with a small smile. "I'm not sure if Harry will let me put him down."

Not long after James, Lily, and Harry left, Sirius jumped through the fireplace.

"Hi, Molly," Sirius greeted hurriedly, seeming almost as frantic as Harry. "Sorry, I'm so late. I promise I haven't forgotten about Florence already. It's just that I've never really been around a toddler much before, and I wasn't sure how I'd be, you know. And Severus asked me to come over a while ago because she just wants to let each of her classes know that she won't be there for the next two weeks because she wants to spend time with Florence, but I was just really scared and-"

"Sirius, calm down," Molly said gently, rather shocked to see Sirius lose his composure so much. She, however, wasn't surprised to hear that Severus, too, had decided to take the next two weeks off of work to spend time with her child, as everyone else had made the same decision as well.

"I just don't know if I can be a father," Sirius said in a quiet voice. "A baby's fine. I spent plenty of time with Harry when he was a baby, but I'm not too sure about a toddler."

"You'll never know unless you try," Molly said encouragingly.

Sirius nodded before hesitantly allowing Molly to lead him into the kitchen where Florence had just finished her breakfast.

"How did you manage to get her to eat?" Molly asked Arthur, who was now attempting to entertain Florence who just stared at him unamused.

"I ended up handing her the spoon, and she fed herself," Arthur admitted with a smile.

"You're a stubborn little one, aren't you?" Molly chuckled, picking Florence up and walking over to Sirius. "Let's go to your daddy."

Molly smirked slightly as she handed the toddler to Sirius, whose eyes went wide.

"H-Hi, Florence," Sirius said nervously, looking absolutely terrified while comically holding Florence under her armpits with her legs dangling, his own arms fully stretched out. Florence simply tilted her head looking at Sirius quizzically.

"Why don't we try playing outside?" Molly suggested after several seconds of watching Sirius and Florence.

"Sounds great," Sirius said eagerly, immediately attempting to hand Florence over to Molly.

"No, no, no," Molly said, smirking and crossing her arms. "You and Florence are going to play outside."

"What?" Sirius said, looking terrified.

"Arthur and I will sit outside and watch, but _you_ are going to play with Florence," Molly insisted, gently steering Sirius towards the door.

"I don't even know what she likes," Sirius stated, his voice sounding uncharacteristically high.

"You'll figure it out soon enough," Molly assured him.

"Alright," Sirius said, slightly reluctantly. "Is it alright if I place her on the ground?"

"It's perfectly fine, Sirius," Molly assured him, chuckling slightly. She could tell that, while Sirius was entirely out of his comfort zone, he genuinely wanted the best for Florence.

Sirius carefully placed Florence on the ground, before summoning a variety of toys, placing them around the toddler, and hesitantly sitting down next to her.

After only about a minute, Florence reached out for a push toy that blew bubbles. She didn't appear to understand how the toy worked, as she held the middle of the handle in her hands and stared curiously at the toy.

"Let me help you," Sirius said gently to the toddler, propping the toy up and pushing it so that Florence could learn how it worked.

This method seemed to work as Florence quickly stood up and looked at Sirius as though silently asking if she could play.

"Here you go, sweetheart," Sirius said smiling as he allowed Florence to grasp the handle.

Within a few minutes, Florence was excitedly toddling and pushing the toy around the garden, as Sirius playfully chased her.

"That seemed to work," Arthur said quietly to Molly. "Although, I'm sure you knew it would."

"Of course, I did," Molly smirked at her husband.

By the time lunchtime rolled around, all of the children seemed comfortable with their respective parents.

"We're getting tired, aren't we, Florence?" Sirius said to his daughter who had just yawned.

As Sirius picked Florence up, she clung to him and adorably snuggled her head into his shoulder.

"How long does a child her age usually nap for?" Sirius asked, gently rubbing Florence's back as she began dozing off.

"About an hour and a half to two hours," Molly said smiling.

Sirius nodded in acknowledgement before walking upstairs to lay Florence down.

The rest of the day had gone quite easily, ending with each set of parents choosing to spend the night in various guest bedrooms. Severus had even stopped by to see how everyone, particularly Sirius and Florence, was doing.

The next morning was quite similar to the previous one. Tessa once again needed to be reminded by George who Fred and Ava were. Teddy, too, no longer recognized Remus and Tonks, however, after a few minutes of bonding time which mainly involved Remus and Tonks pretending to be sick or injured while Teddy played with his toy healer kit, Teddy was back to his usual pleasant self.

"Is anyone surprised that he became a healer?" Tonks chuckled as Teddy wrapped a toy bandage on her arm.

"Not at all," Arthur said in response.

"Your ouchie is fixed," Teddy announced to Tonks as he finished wrapping the toy bandage.

"Wow, thank you, Healer Tonks-Lupin," Tonks said enthusiastically, as Teddy walked over to Remus to given him a toy goblet of imaginary potion.

Florence, like Tessa, acted almost exactly as she had the day before but with a larger vocabulary. Molly couldn't help but notice that, despite Florence being tiny as an infant, toddler Florence was quite tall. In fact, Florence was noticeably taller than both Tessa and Harry who were both a few months older than her. Teddy, very much taking after his father, was, and had always been, very tall, and was the only one taller than Florence, although not by very much.

The only child that was significantly different from the day before was Harry, who now seemed to have entirely forgotten about his parents and didn't cling to or scream for them at all, instead being quite timid and even a bit scared of everyone around him.

"Harry, do you want to play puzzles?" James asked the two-year-old, who shook his head and toddled off.

"How about blocks, dear?" Lily asked. Harry simply stared at Lily for a few moments before timidly nodding his head.

As Harry sat down in front of the stack of wooden alphabet blocks, he looked up at Lily and James seemingly for approval to play with the toys.

"Here you go, Harry," James said with a smile, placing a few of the blocks in front of the toddler.

"Tank you," Harry whispered before stacking the blocks.

"What are you making, Harry?" Lily asked enthusiastically.

Harry simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Why don't we make a castle?" James asked. "Would you like that, Harry?"

Harry nodded timidly in response.

"Does Tessa's energy level keep rising as she ages or is it just because she's nearly three?" Fred asked, bursting into the room looking very disheveled, his clothes covered in mud. "Ava and I have been switching off every ten minutes just to keep up with her."

"Well, it's certainly not because she's almost three," Molly answered with a smirk.

"Why do you think we started sending her to day camps?" Arthur said.

"What kind of day camps?" Fred asked, seeming eager to learn more about his daughter. "Quidditch ones, I'm guessing."

"Well, it started with quidditch camp. We thought that would give her an outlet for her energy, but it was only two days a week, and it actually made her more energetic on the days she didn't have camp," Arthur explained. "So, we added arts and crafts day camp, which Luna actually still runs, and that was a great creative outlet for both her and Freddie. And then, Dean Thomas started a football club for wizarding children, and we thought that would be a great activity for Freddie because he couldn't do quidditch, but Freddie was a bit shy, so we sent Tessa with him. Somehow, she still managed to have energy afterwards, but certainly much more contained."

"She and Freddie both still play football recreationally," Molly added. "And Tessa sometimes volunteers at Luna's day camp."

"That's really cool," Fred said with a smile.

"Fred!" Ava's voice came calling from outside. "Your turn!"

"Coming, dear!" Fred called, quickly running out the door.


End file.
